Neiman

Best known for his brilliantly colored, stunningly energetic images of sporting events and leisure activities, LeRoy Neiman is probably the most popular living artist in the United States. His art is unique. It stands alone, without any real comparison. It is an art which has become controversial because Neiman has broken the barriers of many of the most hallowed assumptions of modern art history and contemporary criticism. It is an art that is loved by millions of people throughout America and around the world.

Describing Neiman as "first and foremost a colorist," Malcolm Lein wrote, "His tones are vivid, jarring, and at times, gaudily biting; they explode in an effusion of reds, blues, pinks, greens, and yellows; they shimmer and dance across the surface plane, electrified bits of pure energy. "Extremely important in my painting is the use of the same color for both positive and negative purposes. . . ," Neiman explained in a letter to American Artist that appeared in an article by William Caxton Jr. in the April 1961 issue. "This is accomplished by deliberate selection of the adjacent colors, possibly a complement or an opaque if [the first color] is transparent, which permits the same [color] to be flat, fall back, or stand out, highlight, outline, and describe whatever is emotionally necessary for its intended function in the picture.