Alice Neel
06 May - 20 Jun 2009
ALICE NEEL
Nudes of the 1930s
Zwirner & Wirth
32 East 69th Street
May 6 – June 20, 2009
Opening reception: Wednesday, May 6, 6-8 pm
David Zwirner is pleased to present two concurrent exhibitions of Alice Neel’s work, the first since announcing its representation of her Estate: Alice Neel: Selected Works at David Zwirner (533 West 19th Street) and Alice Neel: Nudes of the 1930s at Zwirner & Wirth (32 East 69th Street).
Zwirner & Wirth presents a selection of nudes from the 1930s. These early paintings, watercolors, and drawings are characterized by their overt honesty and convey the autobiographical nature of her work. Alienation (1935), which shows Neel lying voluptuously in bed while her longtime friend and lover John Rothschild stands over her, exposes the confessional intimacy inherent to her work. From an early age Neel was drawn to the visual trope of nudity, a subject that at the time was not considered appropriate for a female artist to pursue. Instead of making genteel “feminine” compositions, her nudes deconstruct, contradict, and satirize the limitations of traditional gender ideologies.
One early example is Nadya and Nona (1933), a provocative painting of two nude women lying in bed which examines issues of sexuality while deliberately eschewing erotic and seductive overtones.
Nudes of the 1930s
Zwirner & Wirth
32 East 69th Street
May 6 – June 20, 2009
Opening reception: Wednesday, May 6, 6-8 pm
David Zwirner is pleased to present two concurrent exhibitions of Alice Neel’s work, the first since announcing its representation of her Estate: Alice Neel: Selected Works at David Zwirner (533 West 19th Street) and Alice Neel: Nudes of the 1930s at Zwirner & Wirth (32 East 69th Street).
Zwirner & Wirth presents a selection of nudes from the 1930s. These early paintings, watercolors, and drawings are characterized by their overt honesty and convey the autobiographical nature of her work. Alienation (1935), which shows Neel lying voluptuously in bed while her longtime friend and lover John Rothschild stands over her, exposes the confessional intimacy inherent to her work. From an early age Neel was drawn to the visual trope of nudity, a subject that at the time was not considered appropriate for a female artist to pursue. Instead of making genteel “feminine” compositions, her nudes deconstruct, contradict, and satirize the limitations of traditional gender ideologies.
One early example is Nadya and Nona (1933), a provocative painting of two nude women lying in bed which examines issues of sexuality while deliberately eschewing erotic and seductive overtones.