“It‘s more than a profession... It takes a lot of courage in life to tell it how it is.” — Alice Neel (referring to her work as an artist) Alice Neel was an accomplished and prolific portraitist, who painted in a stark, uncompromising fashion that was honest and concealed no flaws. Throughout her life, she experienced periods of grief and depression, yet used art as a tool to communicate her internal struggle. When painting, Neel was not afraid to openly share her vulnerability through her work.

A self-proclaimed “collector of souls,” the American painter #AliceNeel is known today for her powerful, psychologically rich portraiture. In this rarely seen documentary #FromTheVaults, get a glimpse of Neel’s signature candor and wit, as well as a peek into her life and process as she works on a portrait of Lucille Rhodes (who co-directed the film with Margaret Murphy). This film is excerpted from Rhodes and Murphy’s “They Are Their Own Gifts” (1978), a triptych of “film portraits” about women

A few of our favorite things 🎁 American artist Alice Neel captured humanity in her radical figurative paintings that revealed the complexity of her often-overlooked subjects. This year Faith Salie visited an exhibit of Neel's work that very well may become your favorite thing too. https://cbsn.ws/320kvXr | CBS Sunday Morning

Queer artists. Kids in Spanish Harlem. Political activists. Discover Alice Neel’s vibrant and deeply human paintings. | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York