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{{short description|American painter and sculptor (born 1931)}}
{{short description|American painter and sculptor (born 1931)}}
{{tone|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Otto Neals
| name = Otto Neals
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'''Otto Neals''' (born December 11, 1931<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weusiart.com/#!otto-neals/cdot|title=Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists|website=Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists|access-date=2016-06-17}}</ref>) is an American painter and sculptor. Originally from South Carolina, he came to New York at four years old and began painting as a child. He spent most of his career working as an illustrator at the [[Federal Building and Post Office (Brooklyn)|Brooklyn Post Office]] and pursued independent art projects in his spare time.<ref name=":0" /> Still residing in [[Crown Heights, Brooklyn]] in his nineties, Neals continues to create art full-time as he has done for over 76 years. Although he works out of his basement, he prefers his backyard when weather permits.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Richardson|first1=Clem|title=Brooklyn artist Otto Neals, 80, is master of many mediums|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-artist-otto-neals-80-master-mediums-article-1.135205|accessdate=25 October 2015|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|date=February 25, 2011}}</ref>
'''Otto Neals''' (born December 11, 1931)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists |url=http://www.weusiart.com/#!otto-neals/cdot |access-date=2016-06-17 |website=Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists}}</ref> is an American painter and sculptor. Throughout his career, Neals worked as an illustrator at the [[Federal Building and Post Office (Brooklyn)|Brooklyn Post Office]] while pursuing independent art projects in his spare time.<ref name=":0" /> He currently resides in [[Crown Heights, Brooklyn]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Richardson|first1=Clem|title=Brooklyn artist Otto Neals, 80, is master of many mediums|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-artist-otto-neals-80-master-mediums-article-1.135205|accessdate=25 October 2015|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|date=February 25, 2011}}</ref>


== Early life and education ==
== Early life and education ==
Neals' education was in Brooklyn, studying [[commercial art]] at [[George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School|George Westinghouse Vocational High School]], and briefly attended the [[Brooklyn Museum Art School]], though he considers himself largely self-taught.<ref name="DNA">{{Cite web |last=Fractenberg |first=Ben |date=November 11, 2014 |title=Brooklyn Artist Otto Neals Gets Huge 5-Gallery Retrospective |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141111/crown-heights/brooklyn-artist-otto-neals-gets-huge-5-gallery-retrospective |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626053652/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141111/crown-heights/brooklyn-artist-otto-neals-gets-huge-5-gallery-retrospective |archivedate=June 26, 2015 |accessdate=2015-10-28 |website=DNAinfo New York}}</ref> He studied with artists such as [[Isaac Soyer]], Krishna Reddy, Mohammed Khalil, Roberto DeLomanica and [[Vivian Schuyler Key]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://scafricanamerican.com/honorees/otto-neals/|title=Otto Neals - SC African American|newspaper=SC African American|language=en-US|access-date=2016-11-17}}</ref>
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 Career and Technical Education High School|George Westinghouse Vocational High School]], and briefly attended the [[Brooklyn Museum Art School]].<ref name="DNA">{{Cite web |last=Fractenberg |first=Ben |date=November 11, 2014 |title=Brooklyn Artist Otto Neals Gets Huge 5-Gallery Retrospective |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141111/crown-heights/brooklyn-artist-otto-neals-gets-huge-5-gallery-retrospective |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626053652/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141111/crown-heights/brooklyn-artist-otto-neals-gets-huge-5-gallery-retrospective |archivedate=June 26, 2015 |accessdate=2015-10-28 |website=DNAinfo New York}}</ref> Neals studied under notable artists such as [[Isaac Soyer]], [[Krishna Reddy (artist)|Krishna Reddy]], [[Mohammed Khalil]], [[Roberto DeLomanica]], and [[Vivian Schuyler Key]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://scafricanamerican.com/honorees/otto-neals/|title=Otto Neals - SC African American|newspaper=SC African American|language=en-US|access-date=2016-11-17}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Neals has been a member of the [[Weusi Artist Collective]] since the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weusiart.com/otto-neals|title=Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists|website=Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists|access-date=2016-11-17}}</ref>
Neals has been a member of the [[Weusi Artist Collective]] since the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weusiart.com/otto-neals|title=Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists|website=Weusi Artist Collective, NYC Artists|access-date=2016-11-17}}</ref>


Neals has been commissioned to execute several public works including ten bronze plaques for the [[Harlem]] Walk of Fame on 135th street, a 20-foot mural in [[NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County|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 (Brooklyn)|Prospect Park]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/21/nyregion/where-imaginations-run-wild.html|title=Where Imaginations Run Wild|last=Martin|first=Douglas|date=1997-06-21|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-11-16}}</ref><ref name="DNA" /> His work can also be found in institutional collections including the [[Smithsonian Institution]], Washington, D.C.; Howard University, Washington, D.C.; The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY; Ghana National Museum, Ghana; Columbia Museum, Columbia, SC,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blackartinamerica.com/profiles/blogs/masters-among-us-otto-neals|title=Masters Among Us Otto Neals|website=blackartinamerica.com|access-date=2016-12-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220103117/http://blackartinamerica.com/profiles/blogs/masters-among-us-otto-neals|archive-date=2016-12-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> the private collections of Congressman [[John Lewis]], [[Harry Belafonte]], and [[Oprah Winfrey]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2015/05/20/otto-neals-an-artistic-legacy-2015/|title="Otto Neals: An Artistic Legacy" 2015 – CUNY Newswire – CUNY|website=www.cuny.edu|access-date=2016-06-17}}</ref> and was also the subject of an exhibition in the gallery inside the [[Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch]] at Grand Army Plaza.<ref name=":0" />
Neals has been commissioned to execute several public works, including ten bronze plaques for the [[Harlem]] Walk of Fame, a 20-foot mural in [[NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County|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 (Brooklyn)|Prospect Park]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/21/nyregion/where-imaginations-run-wild.html|title=Where Imaginations Run Wild|last=Martin|first=Douglas|date=1997-06-21|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-11-16}}</ref><ref name="DNA" /> His work is exhibited in the [[Smithsonian Institution]], [[Howard University]], and the [[Columbia Museum of Art]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blackartinamerica.com/profiles/blogs/masters-among-us-otto-neals|title=Masters Among Us Otto Neals|website=blackartinamerica.com|access-date=2016-12-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220103117/http://blackartinamerica.com/profiles/blogs/masters-among-us-otto-neals|archive-date=2016-12-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> He features in the private collections of [[John Lewis]], [[Harry Belafonte]], and [[Oprah Winfrey]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2015/05/20/otto-neals-an-artistic-legacy-2015/|title="Otto Neals: An Artistic Legacy" 2015 – CUNY Newswire – CUNY|website=www.cuny.edu|access-date=2016-06-17}}</ref> and was the subject of an exhibition in the gallery inside the [[Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch]] at Grand Army Plaza.<ref name=":0" />

Katherine Ellington has written about Otto Neals' work and legacy: "From the Harlem Renaissance through the Black Arts Movement, the list of Neals' friends, mentors and collaborators included the following: Vivian Schuyler Key, Jacob Lawrence, Ernest Crichlow, Emma Amos and Charles Alston."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://bknation.org/2015/08/brooklyn-summer-muse-otto-neals/|title=Brooklyn Summer Muse: Otto Neals - BK Nation|date=2015-08-11|newspaper=BK Nation|language=en-US|access-date=2016-12-10}}</ref>


In June 2015, the [[Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation]] held a 50-year retrospective of his sculptures.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation presents Otto Neals sculpture retrospective {{!}} Brooklyn Daily Eagle|url = http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2015/6/3/bedford-stuyvesant-restoration-corporation-presents-otto-neals-sculpture|website = www.brooklyneagle.com|date = 3 June 2015|accessdate = 2015-10-28}}</ref>
In June 2015, the [[Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation]] held a 50-year retrospective of his sculptures.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation presents Otto Neals sculpture retrospective {{!}} Brooklyn Daily Eagle|url = http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2015/6/3/bedford-stuyvesant-restoration-corporation-presents-otto-neals-sculpture|website = www.brooklyneagle.com|date = 3 June 2015|accessdate = 2015-10-28}}</ref>
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Neals is a founding artist of the [[Fulton Art Fair]], the oldest Black visual arts event in [[Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn|Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/6/20/bed-stuys-fulton-art-fair-celebrates-artists-african-diaspora|title=Bed-Stuy's Fulton Art Fair celebrates the artists of the African diaspora {{!}} Brooklyn Daily Eagle|website=www.brooklyneagle.com|date=20 June 2014|access-date=2016-06-19}}</ref>
Neals is a founding artist of the [[Fulton Art Fair]], the oldest Black visual arts event in [[Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn|Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/6/20/bed-stuys-fulton-art-fair-celebrates-artists-african-diaspora|title=Bed-Stuy's Fulton Art Fair celebrates the artists of the African diaspora {{!}} Brooklyn Daily Eagle|website=www.brooklyneagle.com|date=20 June 2014|access-date=2016-06-19}}</ref>


Mr. Neals has been the recipient of many awards during his career as an African American artist residing in New York City. He was presented with the New York City Art Commission's award for Excellence in Design.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-otto-neals-retrospective#/|accessdate=2 October 2016|title=The Otto Neals Retrospective}}</ref>
Neals has been the recipient of the [[New York City Art Commission]]'s Award for Excellence in Design.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-otto-neals-retrospective#/|accessdate=2 October 2016|title=The Otto Neals Retrospective}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:United States Postal Service people]]
[[Category:United States Postal Service people]]
[[Category:People from Crown Heights, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:People from Crown Heights, Brooklyn]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American artists]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American artists]]

Latest revision as of 06:43, 31 July 2024

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]
  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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