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Reviewing art history
By Len Butcher
If you're coming to town over the next few months, or if you live here, you won't want to miss an exhibit by one of the great artists of our time who will be honored with a 50-year retrospective exhibition of his work. His name is LeRoy Neiman, the place is the Centaur Art Galleries in the Fashion Show Mall, and the exhibit, featuring his art from 1957 to 2007, will be on display through August 26.
Neiman, 79, considered to be one of the most popular American artists of the 20th century, has produced a large body of work during his career. He also has spent a lot of time in Las Vegas and has been inspired by the city's leisure activities, so it's only fitting that this retrospective is presented here.
I first met Neiman some 25 years ago. He was here to watch one of the championship fight (I forget which one) at Caesars Palace and was also going to do a painting for Playboy magazine of a new tattoo that Cher had done on her body. The entertainer was performing at Caesars, so it all fit nicely into Neiman's plans, and mine as well, as I was going to be interviewing Cher and it gave me one more question to ask her.
Neiman and I hung out at the beautiful Caesars pool for a few hours, talking about art, mutual friends and making comments about the people who walked by. A regular guy, who paints works of art that we can all relate to -- especially men.
More than 450 works of art -- from charcoal drawings to paintings -- will be on display at the gallery, including 100 originals.
The core of the exhibit is a collection of 26 paintings commissioned by an anonymous individual during the past 30 years, and appraised at more than $5 million. The collection consists of paintings of sports figures who represent the ideal athlete, such as Mary Lou Retton, Jackie Robinson and Peyton Manning.
Though he has painted a variety of subjects, including animals, famous locations and man's leisure life, Neiman probably is most known for his sports-themed works. "He's a guy artist," says S2 Art gallery founder and owner Jack Solomon, Neiman's longtime friend and former publisher. "Most of LeRoy's stuff is male-oriented, sports, the good life from a male point of view. He's sort of a man's man."
Neiman was teaching art at the Chicago Institute of Art when Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner offered him a job as the magazine's artist in 1953. For 15 years, Neiman traveled the world and captured major events on canvas for his Playboy feature called "Man of Leisure." You don't want to miss this exhibit when you're in town, so put it on your calendar.
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