“I love you Harlem,” Neel wrote in her diary in the early 1940s, “for the rich deep vein of human feeling buried under your fire engines.” Born in Pennsylvania, Neel lived from 1938 to 1962 in Spanish Harlem, where she painted portraits of her friends, family, neighbors, and fellow artists. A chance encounter with a boy named Georgie Arce on a local street sparked a lasting friendship; Neel went on to sketch and paint him several times. Here, she describes him in thick black contours and loose brushstrokes reminiscent of 1920s German Expressionism, an important aesthetic touchstone for her.

Gallery label from

"Collection 1940s—1970s", 2019

Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 38 × 28" (96.5 × 71.1 cm)
Credit Promised gift of Eva and Glenn Dubin
Object number PG502.2017
Department Painting & Sculpture

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Alice Neel

Alice Neel

American, 1900–1984 7 works online

Alice Neel’s portraits hinge on trust. A figurative painter throughout the 20th century, she created work known for its deliberate distortion, bold outlines, expressive brushwork, and imaginative use of color.

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