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Alice Neel: Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde

A portrait of a remarkable American artist. Alice Neel was an extraordinary and prolific figurative painter, and yet she spent most of her life working in obscurity.

A portrait of a remarkable artist. American Alice Neel was an extraordinary and prolific figurative painter, and yet she spent most of her life working in obscurity, struggling as a single mother to survive. Born in 1900, Neel portrayed the 20th century until her death in 1984. She painted the people around her, on the margins of society, as well as her own hard, complicated and sometimes broken life. So many of her own traumas were compounded by her uncompromising need to paint: 'I had to paint', she said, and always at great personal cost.

Made by Alice's grandson Andrew Neel, imagine reveals a complex and captivating woman, weaving home movie footage and candid interviews with family and friends. It is honest, at times upsetting and yet ultimately inspiring.

5 months left to watch

1 hour, 14 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Director Andrew Neel
Producer Ethan Palmer
Executive Producer Tanya Hudson
Series Editor Alan Yentob

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