Kadir Nelson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kadir Nelson
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Nelson at the 2017 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | May 15, 1974 Washington, DC
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Pratt Institute |
| Known for | Magazine cover illustrations |
| Style | Conceptual artist |
Kadir Nelson is a famous painter, illustrator, and author. He was born on May 15, 1974. He lives in Los Angeles. Nelson is well-known for his amazing paintings. Many of his artworks have been on the covers of The New Yorker magazine. He also created album covers for music stars like Michael Jackson and Drake.
Nelson's art often focuses on African-American culture and history. His paintings are described as rich and meaningful. They often include clear symbols. He has won the Caldecott Medal in 2020 for his pictures in the book The Undefeated. He also received a Caldecott honor twice before that.
Contents
About Kadir Nelson's Art Career
Kadir Nelson started his art career in 1996. He worked as a conceptual artist for big movies. These included Steven Spielberg's film Amistad. He also worked on the animated movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.
Designing Postage Stamps
Nelson has designed many special postage stamps. These stamps are for the United States Postal Service. Some of the famous people featured on his stamps include Wilt Chamberlain and Joe Dimaggio. He also designed a stamp for author Richard Wright.
Illustrating and Writing Books
Nelson has written or illustrated over 30 picture books. One of his books is Brothers of the Knight with actress Debbie Allen. He also wrote and illustrated WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball. This book was even featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. Another important book is Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans.
Creating The New Yorker Covers
In 2013, Nelson painted his first cover for The New Yorker magazine. It was a portrait of Nelson Mandela. Since then, he has created several memorable covers for the magazine. These include Eustace Negro and A Day at the Beach.
Kadir Nelson's Early Life and Education
Kadir Nelson was born in Washington D.C.. He grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and San Diego, California. His mother, Emily Gunter, is an author. His father, Lenwood Nelson, is an educator.
Learning to Paint
Nelson learned art from his uncle, Michael Morris. His uncle is an artist and art teacher. Both his uncle and his high school art teacher taught him important art skills. They showed him how to paint with oil paints.
Art School Journey
Nelson built an impressive art portfolio in high school. He attended Crawford High in San Diego. Because of his talent, he earned a scholarship to the famous Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from Pratt Institute in 1996.
Notable Artworks and Projects
In August 1999, Nelson's paintings were shown in Sports Illustrated magazine. These paintings showed scenes from Negro league baseball. They were part of a series that led to a special book.
We Are the Ship Book
Nelson wrote and illustrated a book about the history of the Negro Baseball Leagues. It is called We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro Leagues Baseball. Jump at the Sun published it in 2008. Nelson spent seven years creating this book. It won several awards, including the Sibert Medal and a Coretta Scott King Author Award. An audiobook version was released in 2009.
Official Portraits
In 2008, the US House of Representatives asked Nelson to paint a portrait. It was the official portrait of Representative Shirley Anita Chisholm. This original painting is now in the US Capitol Building in Washington DC.
In 2017, Nelson painted a portrait of Henrietta Lacks. This painting helped promote an HBO film about her life. The painting was shown in museums. Later, two Smithsonian museums bought it together. These were the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Album Cover Art
Nelson has created artwork for several music albums.
Swizz Beatz and Michael Jackson
He designed the cover art for Swizz Beatz's 2002 album Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories. In 2005, Michael Jackson asked Nelson to paint his life story. The project was put on hold. After Jackson passed away in 2009, Nelson finished the portrait. It was used for Jackson's album Michael. In 2010, a huge poster of this album art was put up in England. It broke a Guinness World Record for the largest poster.
Drake's Nothing Was the Same
In 2013, music artist Drake asked Nelson to create two covers for his album Nothing Was the Same. This album artwork became very famous for Drake. It even inspired many internet memes. The album stayed on the Billboard 200 sales chart for over 400 weeks.
Awards and Honors for Kadir Nelson
Kadir Nelson has received many awards for his art. He has won Gold and Silver Medals from the New York Society of Illustrators. In 2014, he received the Hamilton King Award for the best illustration of the year.
Book Awards
Nelson has won three NAACP Image Awards for his illustrated picture books. His book We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book.
He has won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award three times. These wins were in 2005, 2007, and 2020. He also received the Caldecott Honor twice, in 2007 and 2008. For We Are the Ship, he won the 2008 CASEY Award. He also won the 2009 Coretta Scott King Author Award and the 2009 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. In 2012, he won the Coretta Scott King Author Award again for Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. In 2020, Nelson won the top Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Undefeated.
Art Exhibitions
Nelson's art has been shown in many galleries and museums. These include places across the United States and around the world. Some famous locations are the Muskegon Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in Harlem.
His portrait of Henrietta Lacks is now part of the Smithsonian collections. It is jointly owned by the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Nelson's portrait of José Andrés is also in the collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
