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LeRoy Neiman was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on June 8, 1921, to Lydia Serline and Charles Runquist. When LeRoy was five years old, his father left, abandoning the family. Taking the last name of Lydia’s second husband, John Neiman, LeRoy grew up in Saint Paul’s hardscrabble, blue-collar neighborhood of Frog Town. He showed an early knack for drawing—and selling. Creating posters for local merchants to advertise their store sales, LeRoy peddled his work for a nickel apiece. He picked up extra change by drawing ink tattoos on the forearms of his schoolmates.
From the late 1960s on, Neiman had a seemingly never-ending string of commissions. The Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet in Russia hired him to paint their dancers. The New York Jets made him their Artist-in-Residence (and a recognizable character on the sidelines of NFL games). With his brush, he captured the drama of the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the 1972 Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky World Chess Championship (which brought the title to the U.S. for the first time). Neiman also painted Broadway show sets, illustrated album covers, and created posters for big events such as the Newport Jazz Festival, the Goodwill Games, and the Super Bowl.