Our Town: A Retrospective of Edith Neff

In spring 2019, Woodmere will present the first-ever retrospective exhibition of the work of Edith Neff (1943–1995), Our Town: A Retrospective of Edith Neff (working title). Neff, a leading realist painter of her day, praised for her dynamic compositions, sophisticated use of color, and ability to portray drama in everyday life. Neff explores questions of race, gender, and identity, probing the social and cultural fabric of Philadelphia, which itself can be considered a "character" in her paintings.

Working from photographs she took herself, Neff created self-portraits as well as portraits of family, fellow artists and colleagues, friends, neighbors, and students. The urban context of Philadelphia is an element in her work that appears throughout her career, and she depicted public places and buildings as well as playgrounds, parks, pools, schools, and beaches.

This will be the first large-scale exhibition of her work in over two decades. The exhibition’s printed catalogue will include first-hand perspectives and commentary from family members, friends, colleagues, and collectors as well as a chronology of Neff’s career.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website