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. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
Playboy’ made the good life a reality for me and made it the subject matter of my paintings – not affluence and luxury as such, but joie de vivre itself. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
It has been difficult to hold onto many paintings but I have retained a few. Possibly the current favorite is titled ‘Big Band’ completed in 2005. It measures 13 feet x 9 feet. It has 18 nearly life size recognizable portraits of the biggest jazz stars that I knew and saw perform in the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and includes Wynton Marsalis. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
I’ve met and sketched most of the great athletes from the past five decades and their movement, grace and energy have kept me captivated over the years. That’s what the ancient Greeks first saw and that’s what caught my interest. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
It’s a nice feeling to go out in the world and look for excellence – the best in man. My subject is very valid. It’s about people, and about life. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
I’ve zeroed in on what you would call action and excellence… Everybody who does anything to try to succeed has to give the best of themselves, and art has made me pull the best out of myself. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
The most important thing is to just do it. If I work at a higher level I have responsibility to do better than what I’ve done before. Sometimes the best happens – beyond possibility. Just do it. Can’t worry about it. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
Eating is one of the great beauties in life. One of my favorite recreations… eating with friends, the service, the ambience. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
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. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
I have always said to young artists that scholastic training and the studying of art history are crucial to fully developing as an artist. LeRoy Neiman Read Quote
