SubscribeLest we forget: LeRoy Neiman
The iconic artist passed away yesterday at the age of 91.
I first “discovered” Neiman when I was pre-teen from This Great Game, a baseball coffee-table book which included several of his illustrations.
He also did the artwork for a 2002 edition of Casey at The Bat.
With his slicked-back hair and signature mustache, Neiman was as recognizable as his brightly-colored illustrations. I’m certainly no art hobbyist, but his work seemed to me a symbol of the frenetic era in which I first found it, although I know I’m not expressing the sentiment very well.
Neiman portrayed most of the star players over the years, including Sandy Koufax, Mark McGwire, Willie, Mays, Ted Williams and received many awards and honors for his work, not just in sports, but other subjects as well.
Sorry to hear of his passing a few days back. Always enjoyed his cameos in the “Rocky” movies. As an aside, I always thought he was a MOT, but didn’t notice anything mentioned in his obits. They did mention that he changed his name to Neiman and is originally from Swedish origin, so I’m guessing he may not have been Jewish after all.