Artist, sculptor and printmaker, Otto Neals was born in Lake City, South Carolina to Gus and Della Neals. He is self-taught in all mediums except in the area of printmaking which he learned at the Bob Blackburn printmaking workshop, studying with Roberto de Lamonica, Mohammed Khalil and Krishna Reddy.

His commissioned works include a 20 foot mural at Brooklyn's Kings County Hospital, a bronze work at the Brooklyn Children's Center, ten bronze plaques at the "Harlem Walk of Fame" and a bronze work at Prospect Park in Brooklyn based on the works of Ezra Jack Keats, entitled, "Peter and Willie". For this work, he was awarded the New York City arts commissions' award of excellence for design.

Neals work is in many collections, public and private including the Ghana National Museum, the Columbia Museum (S.C.)., the Smithsonian Institute, the Library of Congress, Hon. John Lewis, Mayor David Dinkins, Randy Weston, Hon. Bruce Wright, Harry Belafonte, Dr. Ute Wachsmann, Hon. Una Clarke and Oprah Winfrey.

He has exhibited at: Studio Museum in Harlem, Howard University, Du Sable Museum, Huntsville Museum of Art (Alabama), Columbia Museum (S.C.), Benedict College, Gibbs Museum (S.C.), Brooklyn Museum, Hampton Museum, Museo de Arte Moderno Gallery, Cali Colombia Museum of Art, Pratt Institute among others.


Information courtesy of Donnell Walker.