The film Alice Neel, Portrait Painter, a documentary about one of the great portrait painters of the 20th century, will screen on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Katharine Cornell Theatre on Spring street in Vineyard Haven.

Alice Neel reinvented the genre of portraiture by expressing the inner landscape of her varied sitters, among them Andy Warhol, Annie Sprinkle, Bella Abzug, and Allen Ginsberg. Painting a diverse cross-section of humanity, from Communist Party leaders to art world personalities to her neighbors in Spanish Harlem, Ms. Neel created a body of work that serves as a social document of New York and America in the 20th century.

The film tells the story of her life, exploring the struggles she faced as a woman artist, a single mother, and a painter who defied convention. The New York Times’ Matt Zoller Seitz said, “the fascinating documentary Alice Neel illuminates history while also demonstrating how an artist’s style reveals his or her personality.”

This 2007 American film runs 82 minutes and it not rated; there is some artistic nudity and strong language.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $8 and $5 for film society members. A short introduction precedes the screening. For details, see online or call 774-392-2972.