May 2010 BLOG

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ALICE NEEL 12" x 12" oil on canvas

Whoever heard of Alice Neel (1900-1984)?
I did about 10 years ago when the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York gave a retrospective exhibition of her work. Her reputation was at its height at the time of her death. Because I had just started painting again after a 20+ year sabbatical, I was intrigued and hopeful that my art career still had some years to go. In fact I was so interested and amused that I painted this portrait of Alice Neel from published photographs of her in later years.

The HOUSTON MUSEUM OF ART has put together "ALICE NEEL: PAINTED TRUTHS" so you can learn about her by visiting the Museum's Caroline Wiess Law building where their retrospective continues until June 13th. Check out the Museum of Fine Art Houston's web sight (MFAH.org) to order the catalog (same name as the show) for $65.00. Her life and works are featured in a documentary directed by her grandson; "Alice Neel" premiered in 2007.

"One of the great American painters of the 20th century" (MFAH) and "an icon for feminists" (Wikipedia), she is best known for her psychologically acute portraits of the famous and infamous. She painted a portrait of Kate Millett for the cover of Time magazine in 1970 and in 1979 President Jimmy Carter awarded her the National Women's Caucus for Art award.

For information about a bus tour from Austin to Houston on May 22, sponsored by the Art Divas, email divas@womenandtheirwork.org. For those living in London, the exhibition is traveling there to the Whitechapel Gallery and then on to Moderna Museet Malmo, Malmo.

Of interest to you calling Austin, Texas your home:
The Austin art scene seems to be awakening in a big way. It has much catching up to do, especially with the Austin music scene, but it is rolling. For example there is the redesigned Art House on Congress Avenue, the on going improvements at Laguna Gloria and the AMOA art school on Lake Austin at the end of West 35th Street as well as great programs and exhibitions at AMOA downtown. If you haven't already, I recommend you check out "B Scene" at the Blanton Museum of art on the U.T. campus. Visit the many Austin art galleries and contact Cook and Rudd for their Curator's Tours of exhibitions in the Second Street District. The meeting place is 210 Guadalupe St. every Wed. at 12:30 and on Sat. 12:30 and 2:00 p.m. and by appointment through May 26.

Until next month.....
I do hope you have gone to my blog at www.carolesikes.blogspot.com and subscribed so that you are receiving notices when I post my monthly comments. Let me hear from you.
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