Hialeah Race Course (from Man at His Leisure), 1959

LeRoy Neiman began his celebrated Man at His Leisure series in 1958 and it ran continuously in the magazine, appearing 5-6 times per year at its height, for fifteen years. Hugh Hefner granted Neiman carte blanche to travel to exotic locales and document the lifestyles of the international jet set, thereby emulating the life of a true playboy. The series focused upon the concept of image -public image- and the glamorous facade of society. Yet Neiman's paintings and drawings simultaneously capture the emotions and actions of his experiences through the bold colors and dramatic brushstrokes that enliven his compositions. The scenes from Las Vegas, or Le Mans, however elite, seem accessible to the viewer as a result of Neiman's sympathetic eye. Man at His Leisure proved to be an important contribution to Playboy, and to American culture, because it provided a window to international events and affairs through the discerning eye of contemporary art.