True art will always be subjective, no matter how you personally view it. What you find to be moving and worthwhile will be someone else’s source of confusion. That’s why it’s so hard to buy an “artsy” gift for someone. You never know what they’ll enjoy and what they won’t. However, if you know an art lover due for a gift, you can’t go wrong with LeRoy Neiman.

You may think you’ve never heard of Neiman, but dollars to donuts you’ve seen one or more of his paintings in your lifetime. LeRoy Neiman has been working in the US for years, painting many portraits of famous athletes. He’s also been known to create portraits of animals on safari and other situations he encounters in life.

For the true ultimate gift, Neiman’s serigraph of Casey at the Bat - a baseball poem that is considered the quintessential tale of the diamond - is nothing less than a true masterpiece. LeRoy captured the true essence of “Casey” and his hard-luck story in a series of paintings. Neiman portrays Casey at the Bat as a complete story told through photographs, or as single works.

Neiman has many versions of Casey at the Bat floating around. It’s more of an ongoing saga in the world of baseball more so than one simple work of art. Neiman started telling the tale back in 1977, and the way he depicts Casey’s wide swing at the plate creates a striking blend of color and motion. Casey at the Bat is literally museum-quality work.

LeRoy Neiman is all over the place in terms of an artist. He isn’t afraid to work with a combination of different techniques. Not only is he well known for painting in oil, watercolors, pastels and enamels, but he’s also great at pencil drawings, lithographs, etchings and, of course, the aforementioned serigraphs.

Neiman was presented with the Sport Artist of the Year award in 2007, given by the United States Sports Academy. He’s also been listed in various publications, such as the Art Collector’s Almanac, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World. Prices for his pieces range from a few thousand dollars all the way up to $500,000.

One of the most popular versions of Casey at the Bat, the original full-sized portrait, is currently for sale via a private collector. The painting was done in 1977, acrylic on masonite, and is 48x60 inches.

As an original, however, this ultimate gift painted by LeRoy Neiman isn’t going to be cheap. The collector is currently asking $225,000 for the work, and will probably not come down on the pricing seeing as it’s an original and not a photo-book version of Casey.

For the true baseball lover-slash-art connoisseur out there, Neiman’s Casey at the Bat would surely be the best give they’ve ever received.