Chicago is celebrating one of its most beloved artists with a free exhibition that reveals a side of LeRoy Neiman the world rarely saw. LeRoy Neiman: A Keen Observer of Style is now on view at SAIC Galleries, and it is a joyful discovery for art lovers and fashion fans alike.
Before Neiman became famous for his vibrant, expressionist paintings of athletes and musicians, he was a fashion illustrator right here in Chicago. The show gathers 80 drawings and paintings from the collection of the LeRoy and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, spanning the 1950s through 2000, tracing how his early eye for clothing, gesture, and style shaped everything that came after.
The Chicago connection runs deep. Neiman attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1946 to 1950, then taught figure drawing and fashion illustration there for a decade. He later received an honorary degree in 2006. Walking through the galleries feels like a homecoming for his legacy.
Bonus for visitors: a companion exhibition, Style is the Body Thinking, is on view in the Lower Level 2 galleries through December 5, exploring the body as a marker of identity in culture. Both shows are free and open to the public.
LeRoy Neiman: A Keen Observer of Style runs through November 21 at SAIC Galleries, 33 E. Washington St. in the Loop. Don’t miss this colorful celebration of a true Chicago original.
Photo: LeRoy Neiman, Ladies and Gentlemen at the Night Club, 1957, tempera on paper. Courtesy of the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation.
