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Alice Neel: Painted Truths presents the paintings of Alice Neel, who is best known for her psychologically acute portraits that chronicle the social and economic diversity of mid-twentieth-century American life.  Neel painted portraits at a time when Abstract Expressionism dominated critical attention and portrait painting, traditionally the preserve of male artists, was considered no longer relevant.  She finally began to receive recognition as Post-Modernism and Feminism gained momentum, eventually becoming an iconic figure in American painting.

Neel painted both well-known artists and writers and those normally overlooked by society, delving into personalities and idiosyncrasies with an unabashed frankness that provides a testament to the changing face of the twentieth century.  Alice Neel: Painted Truths demonstrates the remarkable range of Neel’s oeuvre by bringing together works spanning nearly seven decades. Although this book focuses on Neel’s portraits, it includes a selection of her cityscapes that chronicle the artist’s intense involvement with life in New York City.  Structured thematically, sections trace the evolution of Neel’s style and examine themes that she revisited throughout her career.  With essays by Jeremy Lewison, Barry Walker, Tamar Garb and Robert Storr, appreciations by artists Frank Auerbach and Chris Ofili, and a chronology, this lavishly illustrated book is a testament to Alice Neel’s singular artistic vision.

ISBN 978-0-300-16332-2. Hardback, 296 pages, 120 colour and 26 black and white illustrations. Published by Yale University Press.

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