Otto Neals
Otto Neals with Marty Markowitz in 2009
Born (1931-12-11) December 11, 1931 (age 92)
Occupation(s)painter and sculptor

Otto Neals (born December 11, 1931)[1] is an American painter and sculptor. Throughout his career, Neals worked as an illustrator at the Brooklyn Post Office while pursuing independent art projects in his spare time.[2] He currently resides in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.[3]

Early life and education

Born in South Carolina, Neals moved to New York at the age of four and displayed a passion for painting from a young age. Neals studied commercial art at George Westinghouse Vocational High School, and briefly attended the Brooklyn Museum Art School.[4] Neals studied under notable artists such as Isaac Soyer, Krishna Reddy, Mohammed Khalil, Roberto DeLomanica, and Vivian Schuyler Key.[5]

Career

Neals has been a member of the Weusi Artist Collective since the 1960s.[6]

Neals has been commissioned to execute several public works, including ten bronze plaques for the Harlem Walk of Fame, a 20-foot mural in Kings County Hospital, a bronze of Percy Sutton at the City University of New York, and a bronze monument inspired by the children's book Peter's Chair as centerpiece of an Imagination Playground in Prospect Park.[2][4] His work is exhibited in the Smithsonian Institution, Howard University, and the Columbia Museum of Art.[7] He features in the private collections of John Lewis, Harry Belafonte, and Oprah Winfrey,[8] and was the subject of an exhibition in the gallery inside the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch at Grand Army Plaza.[2]

In June 2015, the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation held a 50-year retrospective of his sculptures.[9]

Neals is a founding artist of the Fulton Art Fair, the oldest Black visual arts event in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.[10]

Neals has been the recipient of the New York City Art Commission's Award for Excellence in Design.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists". Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  2. ^ a b c Martin, Douglas (1997-06-21). "Where Imaginations Run Wild". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  3. ^ Richardson, Clem (February 25, 2011). "Brooklyn artist Otto Neals, 80, is master of many mediums". Daily News. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  4. ^ a b Fractenberg, Ben (November 11, 2014). "Brooklyn Artist Otto Neals Gets Huge 5-Gallery Retrospective". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  5. ^ "Otto Neals - SC African American". SC African American. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  6. ^ "Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists". Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  7. ^ "Masters Among Us Otto Neals". blackartinamerica.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
  8. ^ ""Otto Neals: An Artistic Legacy" 2015 – CUNY Newswire – CUNY". www.cuny.edu. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  9. ^ "Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation presents Otto Neals sculpture retrospective | Brooklyn Daily Eagle". www.brooklyneagle.com. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  10. ^ "Bed-Stuy's Fulton Art Fair celebrates the artists of the African diaspora | Brooklyn Daily Eagle". www.brooklyneagle.com. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  11. ^ "The Otto Neals Retrospective". Retrieved 2 October 2016.
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