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Original drawing with marker on paper. Hand signed on front by LeRoy Neiman. Sheet size 11 x 8 inches. Frame size approx 17 x 14 inches.
Femlins were created by LeRoy Neiman in 1955 when publisher/editor Hugh Hefner decided the Party Jokes page needed a visual element. The name is a portmanteau of “female” and “gremlin.” They are portrayed as mischievous black and white female sprites, apparently ten to twelve inches tall, wearing only opera gloves, stockings and high heel shoes. They are usually drawn in two or three panel vignettes, interacting with various life-sized items such as shoes, jewelry, neckties and such. Femlins have appeared on the Party Jokes page in every issue since their creation, and were featured on the magazine’s cover numerous times, either as drawn by Neiman or in photographed tableaus of sculpted clay models.
Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Authenticity included. All reasonable offers will be considered.
About the Artist: LeRoy Neiman was an American artist who blended a Pop Art sensibility with impressionistic brushwork and vibrant color. “I do not depart from the colors borrowed from life,” he once said. “But I use color to emphasize the scent, the spirit, and the feeling of the thing I’ve experienced.” His prints and paintings of sporting events, leisure activities, and movie characters like Rocky were published in magazines such as Playboy. Born LeRoy Runquist on June 8, 1921 in St. Paul, MN, after serving in the US military, the painter enrolled briefly at the St. Paul School of Art and then at the Art Institute of Chicago. During his life, Neiman sometimes performed on television, captivating audiences by drawing or painting portraits live on air. The prolific and popular artist made a substantial donation to Columbia University School of the Arts in 1995, which helped to create its LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies. Neiman died on June 20, 2012 in New York, NY at the age of 91. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, among others.
