Simmie Knox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Simmie Knox
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Knox in 2025
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Simmie Lee Knox
August 18, 1935 |
| Occupation | painter |
| Known for | portraits of Bill and Hillary Clinton |
| Children | 3 |
Simmie Lee Knox, born on August 18, 1935, is an American painter. He is famous for painting the official portraits of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. He was the first African American artist chosen to paint a president's portrait.
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Early Life of Simmie Knox
Simmie Knox was born in Aliceville, Alabama, on August 18, 1935. His father, Simmie Knox Sr., was a carpenter and mechanic. His mother was Amelia Knox. When Simmie was young, his parents divorced. He went to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm in Leroy, Alabama. He lived there with his eight cousins.
At age 13, a baseball hit him in the eye while he was playing. Doctors suggested drawing to help him recover. His school in Mobile, Alabama, did not have an art program. However, the Catholic nuns who taught him saw his talent. They found someone to teach him art.
Later, he went to Central High School in Mobile. He then studied at Delaware State College. During this time, he also worked in a factory. After that, he went to Tyler School of Art in Pennsylvania. There, he earned his master's degree in art.
Simmie Knox's Art Career
Knox started his career teaching art. He taught at Bowie State College in Maryland. He also taught at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. In his early days, he painted still life pictures. He sold these paintings at a market.
When he finished college, abstract art was very popular. But Knox found his passion in portraits. He said, "The face is the most complicated thing there is." He loved the challenge of capturing what makes each person unique. In 1981, he decided to focus only on painting portraits.
Painting Famous People
In the 1990s, comedian Bill Cosby helped make Knox more well-known. Cosby asked Knox to paint 12 members of his family. After this, Knox painted many famous people. These included boxing legend Muhammad Ali. He also painted Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
His work caught the attention of the U.S. Senate and the White House. In 2000, he was chosen to paint portraits of Senator Blanche Bruce and President Bill Clinton. This made him the first African American painter to create an official portrait of a U.S. president.
The paintings of Bill and Hillary Clinton took two years to finish. They were completed in 2002. The portraits were shown to the public in June 2004. Today, they hang in the East Wing of the White House.
Working as an Artist
Simmie Knox works from a small converted garage. It is next to his home in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 2004, he said he charged up to $60,000 for a portrait. He did not share how much he charged for the presidential portraits.
Knox is sometimes called "the unofficial portraitist for trailblazing African Americans." He has painted many important figures. These include U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. He also painted Governor Andrew Cuomo and baseball star Hank Aaron. He even painted Oprah Winfrey.
In 2013, a short film was made about Knox's life. It was shown by the Delaware Humanities Forum. In 2018, Knox painted four African American alumni from Vanderbilt University. Their names were Joseph A. Johnson Jr., James Lawson, Walter R. Murray Jr., and Perry Wallace. These paintings are now in Kirkland Hall, the university's main administration building.
Notable Exhibitions
Simmie Knox's art has been shown in several important exhibitions:
- Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1971 (Thirty-Second Biennial of Contemporary American Painting)
- Citizens Bank Center, Wilmington, Delaware, January to March 2013 (a show just for his art)
- Mount Rainier Artist Lofts, Mount Rainier, Maryland, August 2013 ('The Art of Justice: Honoring and Continuing a Movement for Equality through Artistic Expression') - a group show protesting the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin
Public Collections
Knox's paintings are kept in many public art collections. These include:
- The Maryland State Art Collection
- The Oklahoma State Capitol Collection
- The United States Senate
Personal Life
Simmie Knox has been married twice. He has a daughter named Sheri from his first marriage. With his current wife, Roberta, he has two children, Zachary and Amelia.
Gallery
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Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2000)
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Portrait of Joseph H. Rainey (2004)
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Portrait of Blanche Kelso Bruce (2001)
