At Home: Alice Neel in the Queer World

Alice Neel's tireless and visionary commitment to the lives of those around her resulted in an inclusive body of work. This aspect of queer representation in her work is explored for the first time in this new catalog.

Curated by Hilton Als and organized in collaboration with the Estate of Alice Neel, At Home: Alice Neel in the Queer World highlights the artist's vibrant engagement with the human condition. Throughout a lifetime of work, Neel painted people from all walks of life; this catalog is the first to focus on the queer communities, those who were part of her circle, as well as allies and others with whom the artist had a broader conversation, together forming a collective portrait that both embodies and complicates our understanding of the queer world of Neel's time and the artist's place in it.

This collection of paintings includes rarely seen works depicting individuals such as Frank O'Hara, Allen Ginsberg, and Adrienne Rich, as well as writers, artists, friends, and advocates. As Als points out, this book includes “not only portraits of gay people, but also of theorists, activists, politicians, etc., who could be described as queer by virtue of their different perspective in their respective fields and, therefore, in the world. In doing so, they reflect Alice's own interest and commitment to difference.”

The catalog accompanies Neel's first major exhibition in Los Angeles, at David Zwirner in 2024. Edited with text by Als, the volume includes newly commissioned contributions by Alex Fialho, Evan Garza, and Wayne Koestenbaum.