LeRoy Neiman (1921-2012) American, Framed Lithograph "Bill Hartack". Displays the Hall of Fame jockey in a colorful expressionistic depiction, with the man against a textured green and yellow background. Signature and dated '70 in print at the bottom. Academy Arts label verso. 

Size: 31 x 25 in. 

LeRoy Neiman was born LeRoy Leslie Runquist was born on June 8th, 1921 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and took the Neiman surname of his stepfather after his birth father, a railroad worker, deserted the family when he was a boy. As a teenager he earned money doing illustrations for local grocery stores, and was drafted into the Army in 1942, serving as a cook in the European theater and painting murals on the walls of kitchens and mess halls. Upon leaving the military, he studied briefly at the St. Paul School of Art before enrolling in the Art Institute of Chicago, where, after four years of study, he taught figure drawing and fashion illustration throughout the 1950s. While doing freelance work for the Carson Pirie Scott department store in Chicago he became friends with Hugh Hefner, who commissioned illustrations from him for Playboy for nearly fifty years, producing more than 100 paintings and murals for 18 of the Playboy clubs that opened around the world. Famous for sketching sporting events on live television, including Olympic games, boxing matches, and chess tournaments, he was also memorable for his appearance, sporting an ear-to-ear mustache, stark white suits, flashy hats, and Cuban cigars, a living legend by the time he passed away in New York City in 2012.

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