Action!: The Anatomy of Leroy Neiman's Champions

LeRoy Neiman's paintings provide an iconic vision of American sports, entertainment, and historical events in the latter half of the twentieth century. His contributions to Playboy magazine and ABC Wide World of Sports helped bring an abundant body of work -- heralded for capturing the idiosyncrasies of the body in motion -- to the mainstream. Action! explores Neiman's vividly kinetic and approachable style.

Action! includes Neiman's work from the 1960s through the 2000's, highlighting his keen observations and capacity to show explosive action in still images regardless of whether the subject is an athlete, musician, or a waiter. The collection of artwork is accompanied by a foreword by LSU Museum of Art Executive Director Jordana Pomeroy and an essay by Co-lumbia University School of the Arts professor Tomas Vu-Daniel. LeRoy Neiman (1921--2012) attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on the G.I. Bill in the late 1940s. He went on to teach after graduation and quickly make a name for himself as an artist for hire. He traveled the world for Playboy, writing and illustrating the column Man at His Leisure. His career accolades include five time official Olympic artist, Art-ist-in-Residence for the New York Jets, and receiving an official commission from the United Nations. His proficiency enabled him to document everything from the Ali vs. Frazier fight to the gondoliers of Venice to the wild animals on safari in Kenya.