1. Simmie Lee Knox was born on August 18,1935 and is an American painter who painted the official White House portrait of former United States President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton.
15 Facts About Simmie Knox
1. 2.
Simmie Knox was the first black American artist to receive a presidential portrait commission.
3.
Simmie Knox was born on August 18,1935, in Aliceville, Alabama, to Simmie Knox Sr.
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Simmie Knox's segregated school did not have an art program, but the Catholic nuns who taught him recognized his talent and found someone to teach him.
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Subsequently, Simmie Knox studied at Delaware State College while working in a textile factory.
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Simmie Knox then enrolled at Tyler School of Art, Pennsylvania, where he attained his master's degree.
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Simmie Knox moved to the Washington, DC area in 1972.
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Simmie Knox began his career teaching at the Bowie State College, Maryland and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Washington DC He painted still lifes and sold them on a market stall.
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Simmie Knox continued in this style through the 1970s before committing himself to portraiture in 1981.
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Comedian Bill Cosby is credited with raising his profile in the 1990s when Simmie Knox was commissioned to paint 12 members of the Cosby family.
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Simmie Knox subsequently painted notable figures such as Muhammad Ali, and Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, before coming to the attention of the US Senate and the White House.
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Simmie Knox became the first black American painter to paint an official portrait of an American president.
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Simmie Knox has done portraits of Oprah Winfrey and baseball legend Hank Aaron.
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Simmie Knox's paintings are held in a number of public art collections, including the Maryland State Art Collection, Oklahoma State Capitol Collection, and the United States Senate.
15.
Simmie Knox has a daughter, Sheri, from his earlier marriage and children Zachary and Amelia with his current wife, Roberta.