AllMovie

Filmmaker Andrew Neel explores the life and art of his grandmother, celebrated American painter Alice Neel, in a lovingly crafted documentary that focuses on the same subjects of intimacy and family so prevalent in the work of his subject. A single mother whose defiance of convention fueled a dynamic creativity that helped her to overcome the limitations imposed on her as a female artist, Neel's life is explored not only through photographs and interviews with family members, art historians, and her own subjects, but by personal recollections that effectively allow the artist to tell her own unique story. With extensive access to Neel's archives granted exclusively to the filmmaker and footage of the painter shot by video artist Michael Auder, Alice Neel offers greater insight than ever into the woman whose remarkable portraits still possess the power to move and inspire.