by #LizPublika
Minnesota-born LeRoy Neiman, or LeRoy Leslie Runquist (1921 – 2012), was an American artist known for his colorful screenprints and expressionist paintings of athletes and sporting events. “‘If the athletes can perform in front of that many people, I can paint in front of a live audience,’ Neiman told the Los Angeles Times in 1984.” And he did. In what was both a showcase and a challenge, he often opted for colorful jumpsuits that captured the audience’s attention, as he worked, smoked, and sported a handlebar mustache.
The former soldier, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II, was recognized for his art skills while on active duty, which were put to use painting sets for shows put on by the Red Cross. The experience persuaded Neiman to study — albeit briefly — at the St. Paul School of Art, then at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago on the G.I. Bill. He became a faculty member after graduating for the following decade and continued with his fine arts career at the same time. In his personal life, he evolved into a generous philanthropist who helped a lot of artists.
Neiman also had a professional association with Hugh Hefner and Playboy magazine for over 50 years, which began in 1954. Additionally, he sometimes moonlighted as an actor. We won’t get into details about either fact here (but you totally should when you have some time). More relatively, though, the artist observed and painted life as he saw it around him as he traveled around the world beginning in 1960; his subjects included leisure and social activities as well as cultural phenomena and all kinds of athletic competitions, such as the Olympics.
“One thing you will note about whatever Mr. Neiman does is his dedication to the positive, that point at which you find the athlete at his best,’ then-U.S. Olympic Committee Executive Director F. Don Miller told the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph in 1983.” It was a trait that allowed Neiman to become the official Olympic painter for five different Games. “‘I like to sketch them at their highest point possible of excellence, in their clearest possible form,’ Neiman told the Los Angeles Times in 1984. ‘I want them to be heroes in my paintings.’”
Neiman worked in oil, enamel, watercolor, pencil drawings, pastels, serigraphy and some lithographs and etching. He was of Turkish and Swedish descent ("as near as I can figure out", as he has said). While Neiman certainly had a diverse career that spanned different industries, his sports art remains on of his most recognized and celebrated collections.