Artist LeRoy Neiman, whose brilliantly colored, impressionistic sketches of sporting events and the international high life made him one of the most popular artists in the United States, passed away on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at the age of 91. The painter, a seemingly ubiquitous figure in the world of sports, established both himself and his work as fixtures in the sporting world and among those seeking the good life.

“Quite consciously, he cast himself in the mold of French Impressionists like Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir and Degas, chroniclers of public life who found rich social material at racetracks, dance halls and cafes,” wrote William Grimes of The New York Times.

His most recent book, All Told: My Art and Life Among Athletes, Playboys, Bunnies and Provocateurs, was published just this month by Lyons Press.