Otto Neals is a painter, sculptor, and printmaker born in Lake City, South Carolina, who moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York, where he has lived and worked ever since. Though largely self-taught, Neals studied briefly at the Brooklyn Museum with Isaac Soyer and at the Bob Blackburn Printmaking Workshop with Mohammed Khalil, Roberto DeLamonica, and Krishna Reddy. He works fluently across media, including oil, watercolor, pastel, and wood and stone carving.

In 1958 Neals participated in the newly established Fulton Art Fair, where he encountered artists such as Tom Feelings, Al Hollingsworth, Vivian Schuyler Key, Vincent Smith, Ernie Crichlow, and Jacob Lawrence, who served as co-directors of the fair. Neals remains the only artist to have participated in its exhibitions every year since its founding. He was also a founding member of the Harlem-based Weusi Artist Collective, which established the influential Nyumba Ya Sanaa gallery.

Neals’s work is held in numerous public and private collections, including the Ghana National Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. His sculptures and commissions include the bronze “Peter and Willie” in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and plaques for the Harlem Walk of Fame.

“My talent as an artist,” Neals reflects, “comes from my ancestors. I see myself as a receiver of those energies that move through the universe. Through my work, I strive to portray the beauty, strength, and spirit of African people, and to inspire younger generations through that vision.”

​