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