Sports, music, and dance come together in the new colorful exhibit at the Hillstrom Museum of Art: Action! The Anatomy of LeRoy Neiman’s Champions.
Organized by The LeRoy Neiman Foundation, New York, with the Louisiana State University Museum of Art in Baton Rouge, the new gallery presents Gustavus with over 70 works by Neiman.
“It is nice because LeRoy Neiman was born in Minnesota. It’s cool to see a Minnesotan and his works featured here for everyone to see,” Music Performance Major Stephanie Peterson said.
LeRoy Neiman is known for his use of colorful, abstract sport figure paintings.
“I like the variety. There is a whole lot of color, it stands out from the previous exhibit,” Peterson said.
LeRoy has taken inspiration from his teacher, Clement Haupers, figure art to the next level by being able to instantly capture the human body whilst in motion.
“In general, it is different from what I have seen in the last four years,” Geography and Environmental Studies Major Danielle Olson said. “It definitely has a very historical value where it touches on many decades, especially the piece Tyson vs Spinks in Atlantic City, 1988.”
Some of the many football pieces featured such as Joe Montana, 1989 and Lawrence Taylor Grabs Herschel Walker, 1990 are standouts in the whole gallery.
Bruce Jenner at the Montreal Olympic Stadium, 1976 is a more well-known piece of the Olympic sport paintings, featuring the athlete that would become Caitlyn Jenner.
Of all the tennis pieces, the most abstract eye-catching artwork is of the iconic sisters of tennis: Venus and Serena Williams, 2002.
“There are different sports going on and a few pieces focused around music,” Peterson said.
You can see Miles Davis at Avery Fisher Hall, 1981 and Leonard Bernstein, Rehearsal Lincoln Center, 1968 in this exhibit. Along with Peterson and Olson’s favorite piece, Big Band, 2006.
“I am a big fan of the charcoal pieces,” Olson said. “I think it takes a lot of talent but also you can get a lot from the black and white like this Big Band piece which expresses a lot with very minimal amount of tools.”
One can see the decades of dance in this exhibit. LeRoy Neiman takes you from Twist at Chex Regine, 1961 to Bolshoi Ballerinas, Moscow, 1968 to Afro Dancers, 1973.
Action! The Anatomy of LeRoy Neiman’s Champions is on view from Nov. 21, 2016 through Jan. 27, 2017. The Hillstrom regular hours are 9:00am- 4:00pm and weekends hours are 1:00- 5:00pm. Those that have seen the exhibit so far describe Neiman’s work as open to all interests.
“The way he depicts things is very accessible for anyone who comes in,” Peterson said.
“It definitely touches on a bunch of different things that a lot of people can relate too,” Olson said.
History major Preston Schlueter agrees with Olson.
“Hillstrom always presents worthwhile exhibits regardless of whatever the subject matter is. Everything is presented with an eye on the artist’s larger implications within the field of art. Specifically, this particular exhibit should be interesting as this is the work of a Minnesotan artist with a broad topic that should engage many people.”