Edited with text by Sarah Cosulich, Pietro Rigolo. Text by Jennifer Higgie, Kelly Richman-Abdou, Mira Schor, Annie Sprinkle.
A generously illustrated survey of the "painter of people" who articulated the "human comedy" of the 20th century with compassion and verve
Compiling 60 works that are interwoven with archival documents, I Am the Century coheres into a critical and narrative journey of Alice Neel's artistic and personal life. Contributions by curators, scholars and artists—including Kelly Richman-Abdou, Jennifer Higgie, Mira Schor and Annie Sprinkle—provide multiple perspectives on Neel's practice, situating her radical approach to painting people within broader artistic, social and political contexts. A pioneer who merged realism with surrealism, empathy with unflinching clarity, Neel captured the psychological and emotional depth of her sitters while addressing fundamental human issues ahead of her time. This bilingual (English/Italian) publication emphasizes her capacity to chronicle life's stages and relationships—childhood and adulthood, sexuality and intimacy, community and political consciousness—through works that continue to resonate with contemporary audiences. Positioning Neel as both artist and witness, I Am the Century underscores her singular vision of the "human comedy," offering readers a comprehensive entry point into a body of work that has influenced generations of artists. Born in Pennsylvania, Alice Neel (1900–84) lived in Philadelphia and Havana before settling in New York City, becoming part of the social milieu of the Harlem neighborhood. A figurative painter in an era dominated by Abstract Expressionism, Neel created manifold portraits of artists and activists, friends and lovers, as well as strangers. Her style is distinct for its bold outlines, textured brushwork and vibrant color palette.
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“Woman in Café” (1975) is reproduced from Alice Neel: I Am the Century, a staff favorite for Women’s History Month. Published by Mousse Publishing to accompany an exhibition of the same name at Pinacoteca Agnelli in Turin—where Neel’s work will be in dialogue with many masterpieces of nineteenth and twentieth-century portraiture, all painted by men—this volume “highlights Neel’s revolutionary ability to subvert the patriarchal tradition that for centuries turned women into passive subjects of the male gaze,” according to curators Sarah Cosulich and Pietro Rigolo. “Upending the canons of art history, Neel since the 1930s courageously portrayed the female body freed from idealization or sexualization, demonstrating instead a new creative position that ran parallel to her rebellious emancipation as a woman and anticipated later feminist movements of the 1960s. At the same time, Neel applied the same, nongendered gaze to men, courageously stripping the male figure of his heroic status, portraying her subjects nude, at times in the classic pose of an odalisque conventionally reserved for women, and revealing the dualisms and stereotypes tied to the construction of identity and to the traditional conception of power and desire.” continue to blog
FORMAT: Pbk, 6.75 x 9.5 in. / 272 pgs / 91 color / 42 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $50.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $72 ISBN: 9788867497034 PUBLISHER: Mousse Publishing AVAILABLE: 3/17/2026 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA LA AFR ME
Published by Mousse Publishing. Edited with text by Sarah Cosulich, Pietro Rigolo. Text by Jennifer Higgie, Kelly Richman-Abdou, Mira Schor, Annie Sprinkle.
A generously illustrated survey of the "painter of people" who articulated the "human comedy" of the 20th century with compassion and verve
Compiling 60 works that are interwoven with archival documents, I Am the Century coheres into a critical and narrative journey of Alice Neel's artistic and personal life. Contributions by curators, scholars and artists—including Kelly Richman-Abdou, Jennifer Higgie, Mira Schor and Annie Sprinkle—provide multiple perspectives on Neel's practice, situating her radical approach to painting people within broader artistic, social and political contexts.
A pioneer who merged realism with surrealism, empathy with unflinching clarity, Neel captured the psychological and emotional depth of her sitters while addressing fundamental human issues ahead of her time. This bilingual (English/Italian) publication emphasizes her capacity to chronicle life's stages and relationships—childhood and adulthood, sexuality and intimacy, community and political consciousness—through works that continue to resonate with contemporary audiences. Positioning Neel as both artist and witness, I Am the Century underscores her singular vision of the "human comedy," offering readers a comprehensive entry point into a body of work that has influenced generations of artists.
Born in Pennsylvania, Alice Neel (1900–84) lived in Philadelphia and Havana before settling in New York City, becoming part of the social milieu of the Harlem neighborhood. A figurative painter in an era dominated by Abstract Expressionism, Neel created manifold portraits of artists and activists, friends and lovers, as well as strangers. Her style is distinct for its bold outlines, textured brushwork and vibrant color palette.
