By Phoebe Hoban

Phoebe Hoban’s biography of Alice Neel chronicles an artist whose life spanned the 20th century—from women’s suffrage and the Depression to McCarthyism, civil rights, the sexual revolution, and second‑wave feminism. Neel defied convention and earned a lasting place in the art canon.

Born around 1900 into a Victorian family, Neel sought to "capture the spirit of the time." A bohemian committed to figurative painting, she joined the WPA Easel Project and documented Depression‑era life despite the dominance of abstraction.

Her subjects ranged from Spanish Harlem neighbors to Joe Gould, Meyer Schapiro, Linus Pauling, Andy Warhol, and leaders of labor, civil rights, and feminism—producing a vivid portrait of 20th‑century America. She endured personal tragedies, including the death of infant Santillana, a nervous breakdown, suicide attempts, and separation from her other child, Isabetta.

Long overlooked, Neel received a major Whitney retrospective in 1974. This paperback of Hoban’s authoritative biography, with a new introduction, is a clear cultural history of 20th‑century New York and essential for understanding one of America’s leading artists.

Dimensions: 5.1”W x 7.8”H

528 pages. Paperback. Publisher: David Zwirner Books