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.
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...
Oil, Board
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...
Acrylic
"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...
Paper, Oil
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...
Paper, Mixed Media
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
Oil
Jockey, Back View
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Lexington, KY
LeRoy Neiman was known for his brilliantly bright colored paintings and his expressionistic style. He is well known for being the official painter for 5 Olympic Games, as well as mul...
Oil
Price Upon Request
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...
Chalk, Acrylic
$18,000
H 68 in W 56 in
Fireflies II - contemporary, figurative, portrait, oil on canvas
By Daniel Hughes
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This realistic oil portrait of a young man is by Daniel Hughes. In a field surrounded by the magical glow of dozens of fireflies, a young man stands alone, looking towards hills in ...
Oil, Canvas
$899
H 12.82 in W 10.75 in D 1.63 in
Mid-Century Portrait of a Young Girl
By Pascal Cucaro, 1915-2003
Located in Soquel, CA
A gentle mid-century portrait of a young girl by Pascal "Pablo" Cucaro (American, 1915-2004). Sealed in a layer of clear resin. Signed in a black textured medium, lower left: "cucaro...
Canvas, Resin, Carbon Pencil, Acrylic
$2,600
H 19 in W 25.5 in D 2 in
Nude II by Jacques Nestle Petite, blue and white modern nude painting on paper
By Jacques Petit
Located in Atlanta, GA
Welcome to Heritage, our carefully curated collection of French vintage and antique paintings. We scour the flea markets and fairs for these gems: poignant portraits of long-gone Me...
Paper, Mixed Media
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 30 in D 0.25 in
"Just Married", 1930s Original Painted Figurative Illustration
Located in Soquel, CA
Figurative 1930's illustration of a just married couple in a classic car by Charles Kinghan (American, 1895-1984). Signed "Kinghan" in the lower left c...
Acrylic, Cardboard
$17,000
H 47.2 in W 35.4 in
"Model, Astone Studio" Contemporary impressionist oil painting, female nude
By Ben Fenske
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
After studying anatomy and academic painting at the Florence Academy of Art, Ben Fenske took the skills he learned and stepped back, putting his own hand into an academically proport...
Canvas, Oil
"Figure II" Oil Painting 72" x 48" inch by Casey Baugh
By Casey Baugh
Located in Culver City, CA
"Figure II" Oil Painting 72" x 48" inch by Casey Baugh Medium: oil and ash on linen ABOUT THE ARTIST: Baugh's work can be described as narrative impressionistic realism. Speciali...
Linen, Oil
Portrait of Barbara Palmer 1st Duchess of Cleveland
By Sir Peter Lely
Located in Taunton, GB
Portrait of Barbara Palmer 1st Duchess of Cleveland 1640-1709, half-length wearing a red dress and portrayed within a cartouche. Circa 1680 Oil On...
Oil
$12,000
H 27.5 in W 35.4 in
"Sitting Nude, Bea" 2016 oil painting of nude woman seated in thought, pink hues
By Ben Fenske
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a nude female figure, sitting upon a bed; chest bent over knees, hand on head, seemingly bored. Hues of pink surround the figure due to decorative fabrics that are...
Oil, Linen
$550
H 12.01 in W 9.06 in D 0.04 in
Contemporary impressionist expressive oil painting of women on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This vibrant contemporary painting titled "Always Together" depicts two women paddling together in a boat on the sea and is part of my dedicated series on "Women." This piece celebr...
Paper, Oil
$1,320Sale Price|20% Off
H 37.7 in W 43.5 in D 2 in
M. Vidiella (Europe 20C) Oil painting on canvas, Genre Scene, Amazing Frame
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This painting portrays a refined 19th-century interior scene, where a group of elegantly dressed individuals gathers in an opulent drawing room. The richly decorated space, adorned w...
Oil
$1,080Sale Price|20% Off
H 20.25 in W 28.5 in D 0.25 in
"Adventures in Literature" Figurative 1930's Illustration art
Located in Soquel, CA
A wonderful original figure painting for a 1930's illustration by Charles Kinghan (American, 1895-1984). A woman in a plaid green skirt and mustard yel...
Acrylic, Cardboard
"Study of Morgan, " Oil painting
By Hollis Dunlap
Located in Denver, CO
Hollis Dunlap's (US based) "Study of Morgan" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude woman, face downturned, with her long dark hair trailing down her porcelain fig...
Oil, Panel
Sold
H 32 in W 27 in
3 Studies of a Jockey, Expressionist Oil Painting by LeRoy Neiman
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Long Island City, NY
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
Oil
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
Oil
Sold
H 34.75 in W 46.13 in D 1.5 in
Colorful Abstract Contemporary Texas Longhorn Football Game Lithograph
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful lithograph by American artist LeRoy Neiman. Lithograph depicting a Texas Longhorns football game. Signed by artist at the bottom right. Framed a...
Lithograph
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...
Oil, Board
The Bull Fighter
By LeRoy Neiman
Located in Palm Desert, CA
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 ...
Oil, Panel
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. ...
Oil