The Minuteman

'The Minuteman' is a serigraph printed on Arches 100% cotton paper imported from France with private watermark of the artists signature. This piece is hand signed and numbered in the lower margin by Mr. Neiman. This is in an edition of # 155 of 280. It is beautifully double framed and matted.

LeRoy Neiman was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on June 8, 1921, to Lydia Serline and Charles Runquist. When LeRoy was five years old, his father left, abandoning the family. Taking the last name of Lydia’s second husband, John Neiman, LeRoy grew up in Saint Paul’s hardscrabble, blue-collar neighborhood of Frog Town. He showed an early knack for drawing—and selling. Creating posters for local merchants to advertise their store sales, LeRoy peddled his work for a nickel apiece.

From the late 1960s on, Neiman had a seemingly never-ending string of commissions. The Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet in Russia hired him to paint their dancers. The New York Jets made him their Artist-in-Residence (and a recognizable character on the sidelines of NFL games). With his brush, he captured the drama of the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the 1972 Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky World Chess Championship (which brought the title to the U.S. for the first time). Neiman also painted Broadway show sets, illustrated album covers, and created posters for big events such as the Newport Jazz Festival, the Goodwill Games, and the Super Bowl.

Best known for his brilliantly colored, stunningly energetic images of sporting events and leisure activities, LeRoy Neiman was probably the most popular living artist in the United States before his passing in June 2012.