Key Sport Works & World Influence

LEROY NEIMAN – “FATHER OF CONTEMPORARY SPORT ART” – 2007 SPORT ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Artist Biography | Style & Inspiration | Key Sport Works & World Influence

1950-1960
Faculty member, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
1957
First TV appearance, Art Institute of Chicago’s “Artist’s Choice”
1957
Creates “Femlin” character which appears in Playboy magazine for 55 years
1958
Creates Playboy magazine feature, “Man at His Leisure” that runs for 15-years
1960
Paints at Squaw Valley Winter Olympic Games
1964
Neiman’s first painting of Muhammad Ali
1968
Cover of Time magazine, portrait of hockey star, Bobby Hull
1972
July – Sketches Bobby Fischer competing against Boris Spassky, live ABC-TV, World Champion Chess tournament in Iceland, as well as sketching at Munich Olympic Games
1972
August & September –Draws sports scenes on live ABC-TV broadcast at Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany
1972
Draws every round of Ali-Frazier boxing match
1973
Creates super Bowl art for NBC-TV
1974
Covers Stanley cup hockey play-offs for NBC-TV
1975
Exhibition at Minnesota Museum of Art
1976
Paints mural on TV broadcast as Official Artist, Olympic Games, Montreal
1976
Award of Merit form American Athletic Union
1978 & 1979
Creates first live computer art for CNS-TV Super Bowl broadcast
1979 & 1980
Official Artist for Sports Spectaculars, CBS-TV
1980
Official Artist, live TV broadcast of Lake Placid Olympic Games
1980
Official Artist, Democratic National Convention, New York
1984
Action painting on TV as Official Artist, Olympic Games, Sarajevo & Los Angeles
1986
Official Artist for Moscow Goodwill Games on Turner Broadcasting Network
1986
Official Artist, Goodwill Games, TBN-TV in Moscow
1989
Sketches World Series, Candlestick Park, San Francisco, during earthquake
1990
Paints the Masters golf tournament, Augusta, Georgia
1994
Paints Pebble Beach Golf Clubhouse, Super Bowl XXVII in Atlanta, Luciano Pavarotti at Metropolitan Opera, and Frank Sinatra for “Duets II” Album
1995
Elected member of New York City Advisory Commission for Cultural Affairs
1995
40-foot high theater murals for Broadway choreographer, Tommy Tune, New York
1996
United Nations commission for six postage stamps of Centennial Olympic Games, Atlanta
1997
Inaugurates the LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies, Columbia University, New York
1998
American Sportscasters Association (ASA) Humanitarian Award
Inaugurates LeRoy Neiman Center for the Study of American Culture & Society, UCLA
2000
1ST LeRoy Neiman Art Center for Youth opens in San Francisco
2001
Paints official 2002 Mardi Gras poster
Salutes Muhammad Ali as “Athlete of the Century” in painting & serigraph edition
2002
Painting of Wayne Gretzky, gold medal winning Canadian Olympic Hockey Team
2003
Commission to paint New York Yankees outfielder, Hideki Matsui to benefit 2005 Special Olympics, Japan
2004
Commission to paint New England Patriots football team owner
2005
Commission to paint 100th anniversary commemoration of City of Las Vegas
LeRoy Neiman papers received by Archives of American Art of the Smithsonian
2006
Opening of LeRoy Neiman Art Center for Youth, Pier 9, San Francisco
2007
Commission to paint official image for Ryder Cup 2008
Commission to create Muhammad Ali-inspired collection for Adidas
2008
Commission to create mural at Sports Museum of America, New York
2009
Creates USA Olympic painting for Vancouver Winter Olympics
2010
Official Artist of 2010 World Equestrian Games; commission to create painting to commemorate this event

image sources

  • LeRoy-feature: LeRoy Neiman