USA 2007
Opening October 15, 2017*
Directed by: Andrew Neel
Writing credits: Andrew Neel
Principal actors: Documentary with Hartley Neel, Richard Neel, Chuck Close, Juan Martinez, Phil Bonosky, Christina Lanuella, Robert Storr
Alice Neel (1900-1984) is now considered to be one of the most influential female painters in the 20th century, yet she was largely ignored and never sold a painting in her life time. Why? Her grandson Andrew Neel takes a personal look at Alice Neel, her personality, her life and the people who crossed paths with her. Many of the interviews indicate that she was a woman who spent most of her lifetime craving for recognition as a portrait painter in a time period where Abstract Expressionism dominated the scene. She also made an unfortunate change of location by leaving Greenwich Village, NY, right as it was becoming known as an artistic community. She moved to Spanish Harlem due to financial reasons and the wish to paint the ordinary man. Alice Neel was like Van Gogh: She had to paint; there was no choice and she therefore lived in poverty. It is extraordinary that she managed to paint so much with little or no money as well as to raise two boys. In the end, she painted portraits for over six decades and this film gives a personal insight into her achievements and personality while living a Bohemian lifestyle. This film is truly an interesting look at an incredible female artist and many of the demises she had to face in order to have her views heard on the topic of art. ()
*Alice Neel, the film, will show every Sunday from October 15, 2017, to January 7, 2018, in Hamburg, Germany. Don’t miss the first-time showing of Alice Neel’s Retrospective work at the Deichtorhallen. The exhibition runs from October 13, 2017 to January 14, 2017. Opening hours Tuesday – Sunday 11 am – 8pm with every first Thursday open until 9pm except on holidays. Address: Deichtorstr. 1-2, Tel: 040-321030