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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
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

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

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

LeRoy Neiman Whores, Wars & Tin Pan Alley Ltd Poster Alvin Epstein Painting
LeRoy Neiman Whores, Wars & Tin Pan Alley Ltd Poster Alvin Epstein Painting

LeRoy Neiman Whores, Wars & Tin Pan Alley Ltd Poster Alvin Epstein Painting

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in Minneapolis, MN

Artist: LeRoy Neiman Title: War's Whores and Tin Pan Alley Painting Medium: Original Gouache Painting on Fine art Paper Size: 16" x 10.5" Framed: 28.75" x 21" Signed: Signed by the A...

Category

Late 20th Century Leroy Neiman Paintings

Materials

Oil

LeRoy Neiman Signed Original Watercolor on Etching Midnight Blue Ball
LeRoy Neiman Signed Original Watercolor on Etching Midnight Blue Ball

LeRoy Neiman Signed Original Watercolor on Etching Midnight Blue Ball

By LeRoy Neiman

Located in Minneapolis, MN

Artist: LeRoy Neiman Title: Midnight Blue Ball Medium: Watercolor and Etching on Paper Image Size: 27" x 32.5" Frame Size: 47.5" x 51.5" Inscription: Signed on bottom margin Year: 19...

Category

Late 20th Century Leroy Neiman Paintings

Materials

Etching

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
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Greyhounds
Greyhounds

LeRoy NeimanGreyhounds, 1985

Sold

H 52 in W 64 in

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20th Century Modern Leroy Neiman Paintings

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The Bull Fighter
The Bull Fighter

The Bull Fighter

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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)

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.