57 Quotes by LeRoy Neiman

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 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.

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.’

You can’t take yourself too seriously.

I love the passion you go through while you’re creating.

I draw all the time. Drawing is my backbone. I don’t think a painter has to be able to draw, I just think that if you draw, you better draw well.

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.

I’ve met and sketched most of the great athletes from the past five decades and their movement, grace and energy have kept me captivated over the years. That’s what the ancient Greeks first saw and that’s what caught my interest.

But ‘Playboy’ was liberating. I was drawn to it and went for it full throttle.