Lot 169
  • 169

Alice Neel

Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 USD
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Description

  • Alice Neel
  • Black Spanish-American Family
  • signed
  • oil on Masonite
  • 30 by 22 in. 76.2 by 55.9 cm.
  • Executed in 1950.

Provenance

Estate of the artist
Victoria Miro, London
Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above in 2004)
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2011

Exhibited

New York, Robert Miller Gallery, Alice Neel: The Years in Spanish Harlem 1938-1961, February - March 1994
Philadelphia Museum of American Art; The Denver Art Museum, Alice Neel: A Retrospective, June 2000 - December 2001
London, Victoria Miro, Alice Neel: A Chronicle of New York 1950-1976, June - July 2004
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; London, Whitechapel Gallery; Moderna Miseet Malmö, Alice Neel: Painted Truths, March 2010 - January 2011, pp. 220-221, illustrated in color
New York, David Zwirner Gallery; London, Victoria Miro, Alice Neel: Uptown, February - July 2017, pp. 63 and 135, illustrated in color

Condition

This work is in very good condition overall. There is light evidence of handling along the edges with pinpoint spots of paint loss most notably along the lower edge and a very minor loss to the board in the left figure’s elbow. The board is separating slightly along the upper right edges. The edges of the board are taped. The colors are bright, fresh and clean. Under very close inspection, two pinpoint light brown spot accretions are visible in the left figure’s chest, two faint horizontal abrasions are visible in the right figure’s knee, a vertical abrasion is visible at the bottom of the right figure’s dress, which may have been from the time of execution, and the underlying board is visible in the center of the left figure’s dress, which may have also been from the time of execution. Under raking light, a diagonal inconsistency in texture is visible beginning in the left figure’s left eye and extending into the central figure’s shirt and a few minor and unobtrusive losses are visible along the upper left background of the composition. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, several minor areas fluoresce and appear to have benefitted from light retouching, including: along the upper left edge and at the upper left, lower left and upper right corners, just above the left figure’s right arm, two spots above the left figure’s head, the aforementioned diagonal area and a minor horizontal line in the central figure’s skirt. 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.

Catalogue Note

"They unconsciously assume their most characteristic pose, which in a way involves all their character and social standing – what the world has done to them and their retaliation. And then I compose something around that."
Alice Neel