Alice Neel squo;s (1900edash;1984) uncompromising artistic vision and deep engagement with humanity in both art and politics have earned her legions of admirers. This beautifully designed and illustrated book surveys the artist>squo;s nearly 70-year career, focusing on her long residency in New York, a place that provided her with lifelong inspiration. In addition to her compelling portraits of individuals of all ages, both famous and unknown, Alice Neel: People Come First also explores her remarkable nudes, still lifes, cityscapes, and erotic pastels and watercolorshdash;all considered through the lens of radical humanism that informed so much of the artistesquo;s work. Leading scholars delve into various aspects of Neelusquo;s practice, revealing that humanism was both a political and philosophical ideal for the artist. The authors address Neellsquo;s paintings of LGBTQ subjects; her unique aesthetic language, which merged elements of abstraction and figuration; and her commitment to progressive politics, civil rights, feminism, and racial diversity. The bookvsquo;s essays also explore Neelksquo;s highly personal preoccupations with death, illness, and motherhood while reasserting her place in the broader cultural history of the 20th century.
