Skip to main content

Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

American, 1921-2012

LeRoy Neiman, born LeRoy Runquist, is best known for his vibrantly colored paintings and screen prints, which draw on Impressionism and Pop Art and frequently feature portraits of athletes and musicians as well as depictions of sporting events. He is renowned for creating art during live coverage of the Olympics and other major American and international sports competitions. He once commented, “I use (bold) color to emphasize the scent, the spirit, and the feeling of the thing I’ve experienced.” 

Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Neiman showed an early aptitude for drawing. After returning home from WWII, he studied at the Saint Paul School of Art and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where his classmates included Robert Indiana and Leon Golub. Upon graduation in 1950, he began teaching at SAIC.

In 1953, his oil painting Idle Boats won first prize at the Twin City Show, where the Minneapolis Art Institute purchased it. Neiman’s reputation quickly grew, and museums such as the Carnegie Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington purchased his works.

In 1954, Neiman’s famous association with Playboy magazine began to take shape. Hugh Hefner commissioned Neiman to create an illustration for this fledgling magazine, and his piece won the 1954 Chicago Art Directors Award. This led to a relationship with Playboy that lasted five decades and included Neiman writing and illustrating the “Man at His Leisure” section and the creation of the well-known “Femlin” — a female nymph wearing only opera gloves, stockings and high heels — which appeared on the “Party Jokes” page in every issue since 1955.

In 1970, the 5th Dimension commissioned Neiman to create a cover illustration for the pop group’s album Portrait. In 1994, he created the illustration used for the playbill and the immense Broadway mural for the musical Busker Alley. He was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the highest honor of the state of Illinois, the Order of Lincoln, in 2009. 

Today, you can find Neiman’s works in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art (Newfields), among others. 

On 1stDibs, find LeRoy Neiman prints, drawings, paintings and more.

to
2
5
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
7
2
3
1
1
5
1
1
4
3
6
4
4
3
2
2
2
1
1
3
3
2
1
1
117
810
324
192
160
7
7
Artist: Leroy Neiman
Equestrian Horseman
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Equestrian Horseman" is a mixed media on paper by LeRoy Neiman. The artwork is signed lower right, "Leroy Neiman '66". The framed piece measures 40 3/4 x 46 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. LeRoy N...
Category

1960s Pop Art Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Original Sinatra on the Set
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Cumming, GA
Original Graphite and Pen Sketch on Paper 12 1/4″ x 15 5/8″ Viewable 26″ x 29 1/2″ Framed Circa 1960’s
Category

1960s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

LeRoy Neiman 'Femling - Happy New Year 1982' Original ink & watercolor
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Leroy Neiman (1921 - 2012) Title: Femling - Happy New Years Type: Original Material: Ink & Paper Year Produced: 1982 Medium: ink on paper Size: 10.5" x 8.5" Framed approx.: 2...
Category

1990s Contemporary Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

He Lost His Head Over Her
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Cumming, GA
Original Graphite on Paper Dimensions 12.5″ x 8″ Viewable 27″ x 22.5″ Framed. Signed by Artist. Circa 1962.
Category

1960s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

St. Johns Baseball Pitcher, Drawing by LeRoy Neiman
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: LeRoy Neiman, American (1921 - 2012) Title: St. Johns Baseball Player for Doodle for Hunger Year: 1999 Medium: Crayon on Paper with Photograph, signed in marker Frame Size: 1...
Category

1970s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Crayon

Original Richard Burton, The Robe Film
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Cumming, GA
Original Graphite Sketch on Paper 1953 / Signed 1959 Inscribed “Sketch for Robe Feature” 10 5/8″ x 13 1/2″ Viewable 25″ x 29 1/2″ Framed The Robe, a fictional Biblical epic film was ...
Category

1950s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Reclining Woman
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Cumming, GA
Original Pen and Ink on Paper Dimensions 12″ x 16″ unframed 26 x 30 Framed Circa 1959.
Category

1950s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pen

Related Items
"Arquebusiers En Manoeuvre", After Marchetti
Located in Soquel, CA
Figurative landscape of four infantrymen in formation with their long arquebus guns by Adolphe Ancker (Dutch, 19th Century), after Marchetti. Signed and dated "Adolph Ancker 1888" lo...
Category

1880s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

Colorful Lake Reflections, Large-Scale Pastel Landscape with Ducks
Located in Soquel, CA
Vibrant large-scale pastel landscape of colorful reflections rippling on a calm lake with three small ducks and a boat by an unknown artist (American, 20th Century). Signed with the ...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

This Ain't Sotheby's This is Texas, Rosemary Mahoney, Cattle Auctions,
Located in Houston, TX
"People, the human figure, fascinate me. Regardless of age or social status, I take particular interest in grasping the one moment that belongs solely to an individual." - Rosemary Mahoney...
Category

1990s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal, Carbon Pencil

Napa Vineyard
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "Napa Vineyard" c.2000 is a color pastel on paper by noted American artist Reif Ray Charles Erickson, 1949-2015. It is signed at the lower left corner by the artist. The artwork size is 12.25 x 19.25 inches, Framed size is 24.5 x 31.5 inches. Custom framed in a wooden gold and black frame, with gold color bevel and fabric matting. It is in excellent condition, the frame has very minor restorations, practically invisible. About the artist: Reif Erickson...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel

Napa Vineyard
Napa Vineyard
H 24.5 in W 31.5 in D 1.15 in
Mid Century Seated Nude Figure with Rose
By Louis Nadalini
Located in Soquel, CA
Elegant mid century figure study in pastel on brown paper depicting a seated nude woman with a hat and rose, by by American artist Louis Nadalini (Italian, 1927-1995). Signed Nadalini upper right. Presented in a simple wood frame, with new mat and new foam core backing. Image size: 29"H x 19.5"W. Signed and dated "Nadalini 85" lower right. Unframed. ARTFORUM article: Louis Nadalini In the last couple of seasons, San Francisco has lost several of its galleries. Some others have just recently begun operating but often with an entirely new group of artists. Some members of those apparently secure gallery stables that went out of business have found their way into other stables, but a larger group is without a place to show. I decided to look into such a person’s studio in my endeavor to find out what is really happening in the Bay Area art world. I went to see Louis Nadalini. His latest painting continues with the lattice of slats protruding forward with two variations of the painting painted on the sides of the slats which are viewable when standing to either side. This was always a very abstract method and he had quite often painted pure abstractions which centered quietly into hypnotic devices of exceptional color richness, but which gave a kaleidoscopic change as you moved past it. Untitled #42 (the most recent painting) has subject matter and was done in a much more painterly way. The side variations were flat in color, and there were some elements seen only in the side views, a skeleton’s arm and a black hand, for example. Nadalini says that he may abandon the lattice altogether if it gets in his way, but so far it seems to work better than it did with the abstractions. He is enthusiastic about the work he is doing, felt very free about making changes, and was, at the same time still happy about work from several years ago and unwilling to think that older work and new work should not be exhibited together. He hasn’t been thinking about galleries for a while. Nadalini goes to sea periodically which gives him time for contemplation as well as for renewing his resources. by —Knute Stiles...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Ship of Cools (#1318)
By Jack Balas
Located in New York, NY
Full title: "Ship of Cools, or, A Jolly Load of Boatmen Flat-Out Crossing the Mainstream, Some Being Kings, and Some Being 'Vagabonds' (We Await Your Applause) (#1318)" Watercolor, acrylic, and ink on paper (Diptych) Signed in black ink, l.l. This artwork references George Caleb Bingham’s 1846 painting “The Jolly Flatboatmen...
Category

2010s Contemporary Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor

'Reclining Nude, ' after Degas study for 'Les Maheurs de la Ville d'Orleans'
By Joan Dvorsky
Located in Milwaukee, WI
In this drawing, Milwaukee-based artist Joan Dvorsky presents a drawing after a sketch by Edgar Degas. Degas' original drawing was a study for an 1863 painting entitled 'Les malheurs...
Category

1990s Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Graphite

Nude Laying Over the Edge of the Bed in Pastel on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Nude Laying Over the Edge of the Bed in Pastel on Paper Elegant pastel composition of a nude woman by an unknown artist (20th Century). The model is laying on her back, with her hea...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Portrait of a resting young lady (Marjorie Organ)
By Robert Henri
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Portrait of a resting young lady (Marjorie Organ) Black chalk on paper. c. 1907 signed in ink by Henri's nephew, John C. LeClair, the executor of the Henri estate "Robert Henri JLC" Note: The sitter for this portrait is depicted in two drawings of similar size, illustrated in Chapellier Galleries Inc., Robert Henri 1865-1929, 1976, nos. 15 & 16. Please see the attached photo of Marjorie Organ, Henri's second wife Condition: Excellent Image/Sheet size: 10 3/8 x 7 1/2 inches Provenance: Estate of the Artist John C. LeClair, Estate Adminitrator Private Collection, Pawling, New York Biography Robert Henri was born Robert Henry Cozad in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 24, 1865, the son of a professional gambler and real estate developer. The family lived in Nebraska and Colorado, but fled east when the father shot and killed a rancher over a land dispute and was indicted for manslaughter. They changed their last name because of the ensuing scandal and eventually settled in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the early 1880s. In 1886 Henri enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where he studied under Thomas Anshutz, Thomas Hovenden...
Category

Early 1900s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Mid Century Seated Nude Figure Study (unfinished)
By Joseph Yeager
Located in Soquel, CA
Seated nude figure study by Joseph Yeager (American, 20th Century). This piece is unsigned, but was acquired with a collection of Yeager work directly from the estate. This piece is on heavy bond paper with ragged edges and is unfinished. No frame. Joseph "Joe" Yeager (American, 20th Century) was raised in Cleveland Ohio, where he went to art school at night and started his art career at 19. He was a commercial artist for the Cleveland Press...
Category

1960s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

1924 Colored Pencil Drawing by George E Burr, Arizona Desert Storm Landscape
By George Elbert Burr
Located in Denver, CO
This vintage, original colored pencil drawing titled Untitled (Storm over Desert Landscape, Arizona) was created in 1924 by celebrated American artist George ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Color Pencil

RIC: Random Internet Cat #8
By Patrick Lichty
Located in New York, NY
Random Internet Cats 
Robotically-fabricated drawings on paper, these series formally deal with mediation from screen image to ‘drawing’ while using a computer-controlled pen plotte...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper

Previously Available Items
LeRoy Neiman 'Femlin Playboy' 1960s - 1990s Original ink & watercolor
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Leroy Neiman (1921 - 2012) Title: Femlin Playboy Type: Original Material: Ink & Paper Year Produced: 1960s - 1990s Medium: Watercolor & ink on paper Size: 9.5" x 8" Framed A...
Category

1960s Contemporary Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

LeRoy Neiman 'Femlin Playboy' 1960s - 1990s Original ink & watercolor
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Leroy Neiman (1921 - 2012) Title: Femlin Playboy Type: Original Material: Ink & Paper Year Produced: 1960s - 1990s Medium: Watercolor & ink on paper Size: 7" x 11" Framed Ap...
Category

1960s Contemporary Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

LeRoy Neiman 'Femling - Happy New Year 1992' Original ink & watercolor
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Leroy Neiman (1921 - 2012) Title: Femling - Happy New Years Type: Original Material: Ink & Paper Year Produced: 1992 Medium: ink on paper Size: 8.25" x 13" Framed approx.: 20...
Category

1990s Contemporary Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

LeRoy Neiman 'Femling with A HOT Iron' Original ink & watercolor
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Leroy Neiman (1921 - 2012) Title: Femling with A HOT Iron Type: Original Material: Ink & Paper Year Produced: 1992 Medium: ink on paper Size: 8.25" x 13" Framed Approx.: 20x...
Category

1960s Contemporary Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

"Jimbo", Jimmy Connors, Tennis drawing by LeRoy Neiman 1983
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jimbo (Jimmy Connors) LeRoy Neiman, American (1921–2012) Date: 1983 Watercolor and Pastel on Paper, signed and dated in pencil Size: 14.5 x 12 inches Fra...
Category

1980s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Watercolor

BOOMER XXIII
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Aventura, FL
Original drawing on paper. Hand signed and inscribed "Miami '89" lower left and "Boomer XXIII" lower right by the artist. Paper size 15 x 13 in. Frame size approx 30 x 27.75 in. Ar...
Category

1980s Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Color Pencil

MICHAEL JORDAN
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Aventura, FL
Drawing on paper. Hand signed and dated by the artist. Visible paper size 13.5 x 9.75 inches. Frame size: 24.5 x 21. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity in...
Category

1980s Impressionist Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Leroy Neiman figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Leroy Neiman figurative drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of figurative drawings and watercolors to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Leroy Neiman in pencil, graphite, ink and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Leroy Neiman figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 13 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Martha Walter, Joseph Yeager, and Les Anderson. Leroy Neiman figurative drawings and watercolors prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,000 and tops out at $50,000, while the average work can sell for $5,500.
Questions About Leroy Neiman Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    LeRoy Neiman’s art gives off the tone of impressionism. He uses vibrant colors and spontaneous and sporadic brush strokes to achieve the final outcome of his work. Shop a selection of LeRoy Neiman’s pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.

Recently Viewed

View All