Simmie Knox (Born 1935)
PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU WISH TO SELL A WORK BY SIMMIE KNOX
African American artist, Simmie Knox, painted the official portrait of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House. Born in Aliceville, Alabama, Knox was sent to live at his aunt and uncle's sharecropper farm in Leroy, Alabama, after his parents divorced. Knox attended Central High School in Mobile and graduated in 1956. Knox attended Delaware State College as a Biology major and created beautiful sketches of microorganisms. His professor noticed his artwork and suggested to him that he take some art classes. It was this recognition that caused Knox to discover his own talent as an artist. Knox earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts at Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 1970 and master’s degree in fine arts two years later. By the early 1980s, Knox devoted himself to painting realistic portraiture. Knox was chosen to paint many important and famous figures including politicians, supreme judges and historians.