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Leroy Neiman Paintings

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.

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Artist: Leroy Neiman
Dick Tiger, Boxing Painting by Leroy Neiman 1967
Dick Tiger, Boxing Painting by Leroy Neiman 1967

Dick Tiger, Boxing Painting by Leroy Neiman 1967

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: LeRoy Neiman, American (1921 - 2012) Title: Dick Tiger Year: 1967 Medium: Acrylic on Paper, signed and dated l.r. Size: 26 in. x 44 in. (66.04 cm x 111.76 cm) Frame Size...

Category

1960s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Frank Sinatra as Tony Rome"

"Frank Sinatra as Tony Rome"

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in Lambertville, NJ

Jim's of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to present this piece by LeRoy Neiman (1921 – 2012). LeRoy Neiman was born in 1921 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He displayed a great talent for art at a young age, working as an illustrator for local grocery stores as a teenager. Even after being drafted into the Army in 1942, he spent his spare time painting murals on the walls of kitchens and mess halls, where he served as a cook. Once the Army’s Special Services Division took notice of his talents, he was sent to work on painting stage sets for Red Cross shows in Germany after the war. Upon returning to the United States, Neiman enrolled briefly at the St. Paul School of Art before attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later, teaching figure drawing and fashion illustration there. While working at the Art Institute of Chicago, Neiman discovered his primary medium, enamel house paint, when a janitor threw out some half-empty cans of it next door to his apartment. From this medium, he embraced a technique of rapid paint application. While freelancing as an illustrator for the Chicago department store, Carson Pirie Scott, in the 1950s, Neiman met Hugh Hefner, who would become a great friend and help establish his artistic reputation. In 1954, Hefner showed Neiman’s paintings to Playboy’s Art...

Category

Mid-20th Century Leroy Neiman Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Sensual Belly Dancers, Morocco
Sensual Belly Dancers, Morocco

Sensual Belly Dancers, Morocco

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in Miami, FL

We are presenting a rare opportunity to acquire one of Leroy Neiman's best and most compelling paintings. It is a statement piece. A combination of enticing subject matter with a mon...

Category

1960s Abstract Impressionist Leroy Neiman Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Nude, Playboy-era Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman
Nude, Playboy-era Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman

Nude, Playboy-era Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: LeRoy Neiman, American (1921 - 2012) Title: Nude Year: 1960 Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed and dated l.r. Size: 8 x 11.5 inches Frame: 16 x 19.5 inches

Category

1950s American Impressionist Leroy Neiman Paintings

Materials

Oil

Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in Missouri, MO

LeRoy Neiman (American, 1921-2012) Statue of Liberty, July 4, 1986 Signed and Dated Lower Left Acrylic Paint and Chalk 24 x 16 inches 37.5 x 29.25 inches with frame Mr. Neiman's ki...

Category

1980s American Modern Leroy Neiman Paintings

Materials

Chalk, Acrylic

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Previously Available Items
3 Studies of a Jockey, Expressionist Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman
3 Studies of a Jockey, Expressionist Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman

3 Studies of a Jockey, Expressionist Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman

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3 Studies of a Jockey LeRoy Neiman, American (1921–2012) Date: 1972 Oil on Canvas, signed, titled, and dated verso Size: 23.25 x 18 in. (59.06 x 45.72 cm) Frame Size: 32 x 27 inches

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Roberto Duran, Expressionist Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman
Roberto Duran, Expressionist Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman

Roberto Duran, Expressionist Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Roberto Duran LeRoy Neiman, American (1921–2012) Date: 1981 Oil on Canvas, signed and dated Size: 24 x 36 in. (60.96 x 91.44 cm) Frame Size: 31 x 43 inches

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1980s Expressionist Leroy Neiman Paintings

Materials

Oil

Greyhounds
Greyhounds

LeRoy NeimanGreyhounds, 1985

Sold

H 52 in W 64 in

Greyhounds

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in New Orleans, LA

LeRoy Neiman is regarded as one of America's premier painters of sports and leisure, known for his energetic paintings of sporting events, celebrities and urban idylls. The present work is an exceptional example of his animal portraits, which he produced throughout his career. Neiman painted dogs in settings as diverse as racecourses, hunting grounds and Parisian boulevards, but regardless of the backdrop, he captures his subjects with a sensitivity to both anatomy and personality. Monumental in size, this charming portrait captures two greyhounds with a sense of still readiness that perfectly emulates the character of the beasts. Neiman's graceful, flowing lines mimic the inherent elegance of the breed; alert and watchful, they reflect the artist's homage to the greyhound. Born in Minnesota in 1921, LeRoy Neiman long considered himself an illustrator; his first job as a teenager was, in fact, illustrating signs for a local grocery store. After serving briefly in the military in Germany, he returned to the Midwest to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he eventually became a teacher of illustration. In the early 1950s, he would meet a man who changed the trajectory of his career - Hugh Hefner. Shortly after he published his first five issues of Playboy magazine, Hefner invited Neiman to contribute an illustration to the publication, beginning a relationship that would endure for more than half a century. His success with Playboy allowed him to branch out as an artist in his own right, and he soon became the de facto artist of the world's most famous sports stars and entertainers. His subjects included the likes of Mickey Mantle...

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A painting by LeRoy Neiman. "The Bull Fighter" is an oil on panel painting executed in a deep and brilliant palette primarily of reds, yellow, aqua blues ...

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Black Power (Jim Dent)

Black Power (Jim Dent)

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: LeRoy Neiman, American (1921 - 2012) Title: Black Power (Jim Dent) Year: 1975 Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed and dated l.l. Size: 48 x 36 in. ...

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1970s Leroy Neiman Paintings

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Leroy Neiman paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Leroy Neiman paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Leroy Neiman in paint, acrylic paint, oil paint 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 20 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Irving Ramsey Wiles, Everett Shinn, and Charles Hargens. Leroy Neiman paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $30,000 and tops out at $150,000, while the average work can sell for $90,000.
Questions About Leroy Neiman Paintings
  • 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.