A biography for LeRoy Neimanhasn’t been written yet.
“But 'Playboy' was liberating. I was drawn to it and went for it full throttle.”
“When I paint, I seriously consider the public presence of a person - the surface facade. I am less concerned with how people look when they wake up or how they act at home. A person's public presence reflects his own efforts at image development.”
“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.”
“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.”
“My lovely wife Janet has been in a few paintings. She is basically a reserved woman who has never sought the limelight. She has always been there throughout my career and continues to be at my side.”
“The big shock of my life was Abstract Expressionism - Pollock, de Kooning, those guys. It changed my work. I was an academically trained student, and suddenly you could pour paint, smear it on, broom it on!”
“You can't take yourself too seriously.”
“The businessman says 'If I don't do it first, somebody else will.' The artist says 'If I don't do it first, nobody else will.'”
“Imagination comes of not having things.”
“Some people try to paint in my style. Some simply sell pirated copies of my work. Some claim to be my publisher or agent or even my exclusive representative, when they are not.”
“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.”
“I can easily ignore my detractors and feel the people who respond favorably.”
“I always stayed in tune with my own ambitions and attitudes and I'm still my intractable old self, for better or worse.”
“It's not the act of arrogance to draw, it's humbling - you must use your God-given talent. And of all the people I sketch, in most cases I feel I have to measure up to the subject.”
“You know what I like about San Francisco? The women are beautiful, fashionable and smart. San Francisco is one of the only cities I like to visit. I love New York and Chicago - I studied there, and L.A. has the same people as New York.”
“Eating is one of the great beauties in life. One of my favorite recreations... eating with friends, the service, the ambience.”
“As I turn 91 this June 8th, I have to admit my hours at the easel have diminished.”
“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.”
“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.”
“I had a go at changing history - maybe not all by myself - I fought at the battle of Normandy, I slogged through the Ardennes, and I celebrated the liberation of Paris on the streets with beautiful French girls throwing flowers at me. I said good-bye to my first true love and discovered what I really wanted to do with my life.”