Leroy Neiman 1988 Original Oil Painting of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird

Best known for his brilliantly colored, stunningly energetic images, LeRoy Neiman is probably the most popular living sports artist in the United States. Over the last five decades he has painted such illustrious athletes as Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Joe Namath, Sandy Koufax, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and many others. His work has been displayed in the Baseball, Basketball, Football, Boxing and Tennis Halls of Fame. Additionally, Neiman's paintings and drawings are in more than 40 museums around the world, including the Smithsonian, the Chicago Art Institute and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. While the market for Neiman serigraphs bustles, opportunities to acquire his original paintings from which they are produced are infrequent. This is Neiman’s original painting, entitled “Magic,” painted by the artist in 1988. Executed at the apex of one of the most compelling personal and team rivalries in sports history, the work depicts legendary combatants Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in action. Purchased by our consignor in Neiman’s presence on the night of it’s 1988 unveilling at the Upstairs Gallery in Orange County, California, it is arguably Neiman’s most important work on the subject of basketball. In August of 2002, the painting was placed on loan to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. The painting made its debut there on September 5, 2002 on the historic night of Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s induction, and resided there until March 2007. Measuring 34 ½” by 51 ½”, the oil on canvas painting is artist signed in the lower left and framed. Notations on the back of the canvas include “Best of The West vs. The Beast of The East," the names of the subjects depicted, “Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Abdul-Jabbar, McHale”, and the signature of Abdul-Jabbar. Neiman’s stature in the genre of modern sports art, and the subject, quality, and provenance of this work make it one of the most significant basketball paintings known.Letter of provenance from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame accompanies.