My 23rd book LeRoy Neiman: Portrait of the Artist is finished and this week it got it’s first review, one of the best reviews of my career.
Ruth_Turtle
1h
@scoopmalinowski Besides presenting the Great American Artist ~ What I’ve read has left a smile on my face. It’s the human element of it. I love shared stories, people’s reactions to situations, the things we take away from what others say & do. It’s beautiful. It was great of you to write the book. Makes me wish I knew hashtag#LeRoyNeiman too!
LeRoy was a dear friend for two decades from 1992 to his passing in 2012. He loved tennis and there are several anecdotes in the book about the sport. There is also an interview I did with LeRoy about his love for tennis included in the book. Some of my standout memories of LeRoy and tennis are…
- He said he did a tennis painting of just any player but Pancho Gonzales saw it and insisted the painting was of him.
- LeRoy had many gallery shows in New York City and he told me John McEnroe was at one and he revealed the Wimbledon and US Open champion gave LeRoy some suggestions and critiques about what colors he should have used.
- After Patrick Rafter won the US Open in 1997 he commissioned LeRoy to do a painting of him in action.
- I remember LeRoy said he was in Miami and Jimmy Connors would be training every morning at the crack of down, he could hear the thumping sounds of the ball. Also two big strong athletic guys were playing next to Connors who was so focused, he never bothers to look at them.
- Madison Square Garden commissioned LeRoy to do a painting of Gabriela Sabatini as a gift at her final WTA tournament in NYC at year end championships.
Gabriela Sabatini · Jimmy Connors · LeRoy Neiman · Pancho Gonzales · Patrick Rafter
