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LeRoy Neiman: Portrait Of The Artist Book Press Release

 

LeRoy Neiman: Portrait Of The Artist By Scoop Malinowski
For Immediate Release
Teaneck, NJ —– Author/Journalist Mark ‘Scoop’ Malinowski announces the publication of  LeRoy Neiman: Portrait Of The Artist ($9.99, 122-pages).
LeRoy Neiman was a man of talent and vision. He saw things in a way that most people would never dream and he brought it to life. With a brilliance and eye for detail that confirms his place in history as America’s best known and loved artist. The book is a collection of the memories and anecdotes about the one and only LeRoy Neiman from a wide range of people from sports, media, art world and more, including Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Arum, etc. Malinowski was close friends with Neiman for over two decades.
Mark Scoop Malinowski has published 24 books including: Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew, Facing Federer (called “addictive reading” by Steve Tignor of Tennis Magazine), Facing Nadal, Facing Hewitt, Facing Sampras, Facing McEnroe, Facing Andy Murray, Facing Behn Wilson, Facing Bob Probert, 80s Hockey Biofiles, The Book Of Joy, Muhammad Ali: Portrait Of A Champion, Vitas Gerulaitis: Portrait Of A Champion, Facing Guillermo Vilas, Facing Novak Djokovic, Facing Marat Safin, Facing Serena Williams/Steffi Graf (double book), Nick Bollettieri: Godfather Of Modern Tennis (called “a masterpiece” by former Univ. of Pittsburgh tennis coach George Dieffenbach) and Facing Bjorn Borg.
 

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Here are a few excerpts from LeRoy Neiman: Portrait of the Artist…
Bert Randolph Sugar (Boxing Historian):  “I met LeRoy Neiman in Chicago at the Playboy Mansion. And for those people who don’t know that joke page right after the centerfold – and I know that you don’t turn it over – those cartoon girls (Femlines), that’s (by) LeRoy. That’s how he started. Hef got him to do the little girls that dot the page. Then he’s done some magnificent work and I got to know him there. And I actually paid attention to him. And there was still girls in bathrobes that I could’ve-should’ve been paying attention to [smiles]… because I used to go to Chicago a lot.”
“But LeRoy is one of the real people, not only from St. Paul (MN), which nobody knows about him. He used to train at Mike Gibbons gym in St. Paul. He used to box as a kid. This is a person who loves boxing and he’s been involved in it almost his entire adult life. And he’s one helluva friend and one great, great artist. He sort of – this only goes to people who are 350 years or older – he’s the William Hogarth that depicted life of London back in the 1700s. He is that Hogarth of American life today.”
“And also what was fun was, I used to, not only did I go to his studio but we’d have dinner downstairs at Cafe Des Artists. His agent at the time was Salvador Dali’s agent. And he had a mustache. And we’d sit there and watch Salvador Dali carry in his candelabra, put it on the table for dinner. LeRoy and I just had a good relationship – and still do. He’s one of the real people. And I always give him a cigar to say hello.”
“One of the fun things about LeRoy is that, way back when at Madison Square Garden, Johnny Condon always said, ‘Don’t even stare, don’t even look at Frankie Carbo, Frank Costello and the members of the mob who were there with their friend girls of the evening.’  Well, LeRoy’s sitting there one night just drawing Frank Costello. And Johnny Condon, the publicist at Madison Square Garden, ran over at least three times telling him not to. And he keeps drawing him. Finally, a couple of the goombas from Costello came over to ask what he’s doing. ‘I’m drawing Frank Costello.’  They gestured for him to come over. Looked at the sketch. Wanted it. And LeRoy didn’t want to give it to him. He said, ‘I’ll sell it to you.’ And he sold it to him. Not only did he look at him when he wasn’t supposed to. Not only did he draw him. He sold him the sketch. LeRoy is good. He’s fearless. He does his studies well. He’s a great artist. But he’s a better friend than he is an artist. And that’s saying something.”
Larry Holmes (Former Heavyweight Champion):  “He liked boxing… maybe more than anything else. Because he was always there at every major fight. At every party he was there.  Matter of fact, I got a picture from him (of me) dancing with my wife. I don’t know why it took so long to write about him. Like me, out of sight, out of mind. A lot of people are like that. Forgotten. I could say that about me but I’m not. If I don’t see someone, I’ll ask about them. I don’t forget LeRoy. I can’t. I didn’t like him because of his artwork. I liked him because of his personality. The picture he did of me and my wife is still on my wall. And it will be on our wall till we are not here anymore. A lot of people come to our house and ask me, Did you know LeRoy? Of course, I knew LeRoy. He was a great man. He always had my respect. I didn’t know he passed until I asked. Nobody told me anything. I don’t get the news, I don’t read the papers much.”
Question:  Do you remember the first time you met LeRoy?
Larry Holmes:  “I wish I did. When I met him I remember I know we hit it off. I respected him, he respected me. I was just a little guy trying to become champion. He treated me like I was the champion. Yeah, LeRoy was good. A good guy.”

Reviews:

Behn Wilson (Former NHL All Star defenseman for Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks):  “Just read your Neiman book. Very nice. I learned a lot of things about him that i never knew. You have a great niche with these books. Keep going!”
Ruth Turtle (Art collector):  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 #LeRoyNeiman too!
Cover art by Scoop Malinowski
Contact: Mark Scoop Malinowski 201-218-0811
scoop.malinowski@yahoo.com
About The Author
Mark Scoop Malinowski has written for New York Post, MLB.com, Ring Magazine, CBSSportsline.com, Daily Racing Form, The Sporting News, The Hockey News, New York Daily News, Tribune Media Services, Don King Productions official programs, ATPWORLDTOUR.COM, TENNIS Magazine, Tennis Week, Tennisweek.com, Ace Magazine of U.K. Australian Tennis Magazine, Tennis View, Australian Open Official Program, Tennis-prose.com, CBSsportsline.com, ESPNSportszone.com, New York Tennis, Totally Tennis Magazine, The Daily Record of Morris County, N.J., TheBiofile.com, Florida Tennis, South Asia Life & Times Magazine.

About Scoop Malinowski

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