ALICE NEEL | Untitled

Art Fair Galleries, Larchmont
Acquired from the above by the present owner

This work is in good condition overall. There is evidence of wear and handling to the edges, which are paper taped, and which is slightly lifting in some places and is missing in others, most noticeably the lower left and upper right corners, and there are some minor pinpoint spots of loss along the edges. The canvas is slightly loose on the stretcher and buckling in the corners. The colors are bright and fresh. Approximately 3-inches from the top edge, there is a horizontal area of cracking with some associated spots of loss. Under close inspection, hairline craquelure is visible throughout with some associated minor spots of loss and there are scattered surface abrasions running diagonally through the yellow section in the lower edge. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there are a few small areas that fluoresce darkly: one just left of the “Sweet Orr” sign in the vertical brown band and one to the right of the red coat. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

“Neel’s participation in the easel division of the WPA provided her with canvases 24 by 30 inches in size…painters were encouraged to observe and represents facets of American culture, society and history. Arts administrators and artists involved in the formation of the project viewed the inward-looking atmosphere of the national emergency as an opportunity to encourage the creation of an authentically American art…At the end of her life Neel recalled the paintings she made for the WPA followed the same method of inventorying the city that was characteristic of writers and photographers assigned to produce guides to New York: ‘I did all the neighborhoods of New York for the WPA. I would go out in the street and make a little sketch and just write the names of the colors in it and then go home and paint it from memory.'”
Susan Rosenberg and the artist quoted in, “People as Evidence,” in Exh. Cat., New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Alice Neel, 2000, pp. 36-37