Mixed Pair by Leroy Neiman

LeRoy Neiman was an American expressionist artist, famous for his colorful depictions of sports, athletes, casino gaming, celebrities, and wildlife. His collaboration with Hugh Hefner and Playboy from 1954 until his death in 2012 resulted in a vast body of work, from his sketches and caricatures in Playboy magazine, to the large, original oils that were painted for, and covered the walls of, the Playboy Clubs in the USA, the UK, and eventually many other countries. Mixed Pair was painted in 1966 for the Playboy Club in London, and was displayed there until the Club's closing in 1982. The painting was among other notable Neiman paintings, including the titles Portrait of Paul McCartney, and Polanski on Drums at Dolly's. 

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Mixed Pair depicts a black man and a white woman dancing. The painting's title is a clear and direct statement of the content and subject of the work. The painting and its subject matter are an important accompaniment to the Playboy Club's (and Hugh Hefner's)  1961 official position statement on racial equality in the Playboy Clubs, which stated:

"Let us make our attitudes clear to you: We believe in the acceptance of all person from all aspects of life on the basis of individual merit and without any regard to race, color, or religion. Do we mean that we are “tolerant” and that we believe in economic integration, not social integration? No, we mean we believe in being “colorblind” straight down the line. We believe that any form of racial discrimination is illogical and we have great respect for logic. We do not practice racial discimination and we have no sympathy for those who do (althought we do respect the rights of others to hold and peacefully advocate any point of view, no matter how idiotic and off-base it might seem to us)."

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Mixed Pair is another of Leroy Neiman's contributions to the Playboy Philosophy, and Hugh Hefner's position on racial equality. It is also a beautiful painting, full of color, motion and feeling, and stands out as an important piece of the artist's work. Click on the link to view the painting in place in the Playboy Club in London, alongside Paul McCartney, and Polanski on Drums at Dolly's. Another painting of the Beatles is visible on the left as the clip starts. 

For more information:  Info@originalneiman.com

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