Alice's Wonderland

A cornerstone of New York City's bohemian world in the mid-twentieth century, leftist painter and portraitist Alice Neel left behind a scrapbook of her cultural milieu in the form of insightful depictions of the famous (among them, poet Frank O'Hara, theater entrepreneur Joseph Papp, composer Virgil Thompson, New York Mayor...

By Susan Froyd

August 16, 2007

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A cornerstone of New York City's bohemian world in the mid-twentieth century, leftist painter and portraitist Alice Neel left behind a scrapbook of her cultural milieu in the form of insightful depictions of the famous (among them, poet Frank O'Hara, theater entrepreneur Joseph Papp, composer Virgil Thompson, New York Mayor Ed Koch, Congresswoman Bella Abzug), fellow artists (including a shirtless Andy Warhol) and her friends, neighbors, lovers and children from the teeming Manhattan community. When Neel's grandson, filmmaker Andrew Neel, set out to document the documentarian, he did so in a subtly personal way that echoes his grandmother's portraits, gently revealing the person behind the paintings in his fascinating Alice Neel.

Andrew Neel will be on hand to discuss the film and his own artistic process at 7 p.m. tonight at a Denver Film Society DocNight screening at the Starz FilmCenter in the Tivoli, with Denver Post film critic Leslie Kennedy making the introductions. Screenings continue daily through August 23. DocNight admission is $8.75, $6.75 for seniors and $5.75 for DFS members; get details and show times at 303-820-3456 or www.denverfilm.org.

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

Contact: Susan Froyd

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