LeRoy Neiman

LeRoy Neiman is an American artist known for his brilliantly colored, semi-abstract paintings and screenprints of athletes and sporting events.  He was the official artist at five Olympics.

Neiman was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota.  In 1942, Neiman left high school to enlist in the U.S. Army, where he spent four years before returning to St. Paul to complete his high school degree.  Neiman studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (where he also later taught), the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois.  Employed as an illustrator for Chicago department store Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. in the early 1950’s, he worked alongside a copywriter named Hugh Hefner.  When Hefner started Playboy magazine in 1953, Neiman’s artwork was featured in several issues, gaining him instant recognition as an artist.

Following his success with Playboy, Neiman became famous for his action paintings of sports events and athletes and is considered the premier sports artist in the world.  His paintings have fetched well over $100,000 in auction.

Neiman, and his wife of over 50 years, Janet (née Byrne) live in New York City at the Hotel des Artistes, their home base for some 33 years, where Neiman continues to paint.