Alice Neel's Portraits of Georgie Arce Reveal a Lifelong Artistic Commitment to Marginalized Communities
From 1953 to 1955, Alice Neel captured the evolution of Georgie Arce, a boy from Spanish Harlem, through her portraits. Key pieces include "Georgie Arce" (1953) housed at the Museum of Modern Art and "Georgie Arce no 2" (1955) located at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Neel resided in Spanish Harlem starting in 1930 and later moved to West Harlem in 1962, where she focused on painting marginalized individuals in her community. Tragically, Arce's life ended when he was incarcerated for murder, an outcome Neel attributed to systemic issues of poverty and racism. Neel herself endured personal struggles, such as the loss of her daughter Santillana and financial difficulties, while championing marginalized communities and working with galleries like David Zwirner.
Key facts
- Alice Neel painted Georgie Arce between 1953 and 1955.
- Georgie Arce was imprisoned for murder decades after being painted.
- Neel lived in Spanish Harlem from 1930 and West Harlem from 1962.
- Neel's portraits focused on Black, Latino, immigrant, and working-class subjects.
- Neel was a supporter of Marxist and Communist political thought.
- Neel's daughter Santillana died in infancy and Isabetta was abducted.
- Neel worked for the Works Progress Administration under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- Recent articles about Neel appeared in Apollo Magazine and Smithsonian Magazine in 2021.
Entities
Artists
- Alice Neel
- Georgie Arce
- Mike Gold
- Phoebe Hoban
- Glenn Adamson
- Isis Davis-Marks
- R.J. Philips
- Rothko
Institutions
- Museum of Modern Art
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Museum of the City of New York
- Estate of Alice Neel
- David Zwirner
- Victoria Miro
- Thomas Ammann Fine Art AG
- Haus Der Kunst
- Daily Worker Newspaper
- Saint Martin’s Press
- Apollo Magazine
- Smithsonian Magazine
- New York Times
- Works Progress Administration
- New Deal
Locations
- New York
- USA
- Spanish Harlem
- West Harlem
- Greenwich Village
- East Harlem
- Harlem
- Munich
- Germany
- Cuba
- London