LeRoy Neiman
LeRoy Neiman
LeRoy Neimanwas an American artist known for his brilliantly colored, expressionist paintings and screen prints of athletes, musicians, and sporting events...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPainter
Date of Birth8 June 1921
CitySaint Paul, MN
CountryUnited States of America
playboy throttle liberating
But 'Playboy' was liberating. I was drawn to it and went for it full throttle.
passion creating
I love the passion you go through while you're creating.
beautiful new-york smart
You know what I like about San Francisco? The women are beautiful, fashionable and smart. San Francisco is one of the only cities I like to visit. I love New York and Chicago - I studied there, and L.A. has the same people as New York.
guy students paint
The big shock of my life was Abstract Expressionism - Pollock, de Kooning, those guys. It changed my work. I was an academically trained student, and suddenly you could pour paint, smear it on, broom it on!
artist firsts businessman
The businessman says 'If I don't do it first, somebody else will.' The artist says 'If I don't do it first, nobody else will.'
compliments-you done care
I've got the public. I don't care about the critics. I did at one time. I don't any more. I did when I needed compliments. But if you get a lot of compliments, you don't need a critic to tell you, 'This should be done another way.'
long different roles
Throughout my life, cigars have played different roles for me. They fit easily and well in the various stages and experiences Ive had -- like a companion, almost. If youve smoked a long time, as I have, they become part of you.
dream art sleep
No, I never had any dreams. The process of art is a dream in itself. The artist just doesn't... you work out something. It's yours. You don't have to go to sleep to do that. You do that on the canvas.
eating my-favorite beauty-of-life
Eating is one of the great beauties in life. One of my favorite recreations... eating with friends, the service, the ambience.
attitude ambition self
I always stayed in tune with my own ambitions and attitudes and I'm still my intractable old self, for better or worse.
artist important theory
I guess I created LeRoy Neiman. Nobody else told me how to do it. Well, I'm a believer in the theory that the artist is as important as his work.
spiritual art calling
There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's a belief; it's a calling. If you're an artist, doing your own thing on your own, it's while you're doing it that counts. It's a process. If you get too elated, you can get too depressed.
painting selling difficult
It has been difficult to hold onto many paintings but I have retained a few...
beautiful girl goodbye
I had a go at changing history - maybe not all by myself - I fought at the battle of Normandy, I slogged through the Ardennes, and I celebrated the liberation of Paris on the streets with beautiful French girls throwing flowers at me. I said good-bye to my first true love and discovered what I really wanted to do with my life.