PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
Famed Artist Unveils Portrait for O’Malley Simmie Knox’s Frederick Douglass Painting Makes Maryland History By Stacy M. Brown WI Contributing Writer When Simmie Knox received a telephone call recently in which the caller asked him to paint a portrait of Frederick Douglass, he wasn’t at all surprised. After all, Knox has painted numerous great African-Americans in the past, and his work already includes a stunning portrait of Douglass that remains on display in the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum in Southeast. However, the location of the Douglass painting that the caller commissioned proved to be what surprised Knox more than anything. “They contacted me because they knew of me because of my work,” Knox said. “They asked if I would be interested in doing a portrait of Frederick Douglass, and, of course, I said I would. I have done portraits for a number of years, so the surprise wasn’t that they asked me – the surprise was that it was going to be in the governor’s mansion in Maryland,” he said. Knox made history Monday when Gov. Martin O’Malley unveiled the artist’s portrait of Douglass at the Maryland governor’s residence in Annapolis. It marked the first time that the likeness of an African-American adorned the walls there. “It’s truly an honor to be part of this celebration and com-
Gov. Martin O’Malley and his wife, the Honorable Katie O’Malley with Frederick Douglass portrait artist Simmie Knox, and investment banker Eddie Brown and his wife Sylvia at the Maryland governor’s mansion in Annapolis on Monday, Sept. 15. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter
memorate the life of one of my boyhood heroes, Frederick Douglass, a Marylander who despite facing tremendous adversity, never lost hope and never stopped fighting for the better future he dreamed of,” O’Malley, 51, said in a statement. “This beautiful portrait, the first image of an African American to ever grace the walls of our Government House, will act as an inspiration for future generations and a fitting tribute to his spirit of resilience, achievement, and fortitude,” the governor said. Commissioned by the C. Sylvia and Eddie C. Brown Family Foundation, the portrait underscored and strengthened the nexus between Knox, the celebrated portraitist, and the legacy of the famous abolitionist Douglass, officials at the governor’s office said. O’Malley said the trio of Douglass, Knox and Brown, whose Brown Capital Management counts as one of the oldest black-owned investment companies in the state, honors the culture and history of Maryland. “This is significant because of the location, of course, but I have painted governors, presidents, Supreme Court justices, and they’re all important to me. I take everyone seriously,” said Knox, 79. The first African-American artist to create an official U.S. presidential portrait, Knox has unveiled portraits of President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, talk show host Oprah Winfrey and many others. Born in Aliceville, Alabama,
www.washingtoninformer.com
Knox graduated from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. He has specialized in oil portraiture since 1981, and, prior to that, he taught at various colleges, universities, and public schools in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and the District, including the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Northwest. He turned to portraiture after years of painting a wide variety of art because he found that there’s nothing more challenging and interesting to paint than the human face, Knox said. Although he’d previously crafted a portrait of Douglass, Knox said this one proved a bit more challenging. “That’s because it was a largescale portrait and I only had a half of a body image to begin with, and I had to do it in color,” he said, noting that the portrait for the governor’s residence stands 6 feet by 7 feet tall. “I’ve been at this work for 55 years, but to do it in color is always challenging,” he said. A key to his success, Knox said, has been the fact that he possesses the technical skills and also loves his craft. “I spent years as an abstract painter, learning how to mix certain colors that will portray my subjects in a natural way,” he said. “One of the reasons President Clinton loved the portrait I did of him was because he said it looked so real, so natural.”WI The Washington Informer
CALL (202) 670-7495
Sept 18 - Sept 24, 2014
13