LeRoy Neiman

LeRoy Neiman was an American Impressionist artist whose vivid paintings of sporting events and people at leisure are some of the most recognized pieces of art in America. Neiman was educated at a Catholic primary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He constantly drew, entered art contests, and produced posters for school events. When war raged in 1942, Neiman dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army. He put his talents to use by painting murals in mess halls. Neiman's professional influences include a variety of Impressionists, Fauvists, and Expressionists.

Neiman studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and also taught there for ten years. Some of the artist's most successful early exhibits were the Chicago Art Exhibition and the Corcoran Gallery of Arts "American 25th Biennial Exhibition" in Washington, D.C. Neiman was commissioned to produce illustrations and other artwork for Playboy, his most famous series being Man at His Leisure.

Neiman traveled the world painting the best in entertainment events, from English steeplechases to the Cannes Film Festival. Neiman also worked at studios in France and Italy. When he returned to the United States his first solo gallery exhibition was held at Hammer Galleries in New York. He has covered five Olympiads, holds four honorary degrees, and wrote nine books, including "Horses and Winners." Neiman endowed Columbia University with the funds to create the LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies in 1995.