Biography
As we celebrate souls of our times and preserve their beauty in paint and color for posterity, we must ask, what can we learn from ancient portraits, portrait artists and artists in history so that our portraits will have the same timeless qualities? We must ask, what insights do we need to help us produce meaningful and eternal portraits? How can portrait lovers recognize and understand great portraits so that they can enjoy more the meaning behind the portraits? These are questions Sam answered in his new book A Short Story of Skin Tones in Art: From Ancient Egypt to Today’s Portraits — the wisdom of the ages for all art lovers.
Samuel Adoquei’s uniqueness is turning nature and people into beautiful timeless paintings that inspire future generations. Sam Adoquei is not only an artist but also the author of Origin of Inspiration a Strand Books No.1 Bestsellers and three years on a roll on strand books best-of-the-best table. “Origin of Inspiration, a treatise on the best way to live a creative life, is full of ideas” — Rolling Stone Magazine, Oct. 2014. Also How Successful Artists Study.
When Tiffany and Co. one of the oldest and most important jewelry designing company in the world wanted an artist who could inspire, guide and offer ideas which grow great minds to their art department it was Mr. Adoquei they called upon.
In the 21st century art world the African-born Samuel Adoquei follows the historical tradition of creative minds who challenged themselves with unfamiliar territory. American artists looked to Europe, and Picasso looked to African Art for inspiration. Upon Samuel Adoquei’s arrival in the United States, while still a student, he won several international awards including the Gold Medal in Oil Painting and Best Traditional Oil Painting awards at the Knickerbockers Artists Annual International Exhibition. He is the first and only African in Western art to teach in all of the prestigious art institutions and academies in New York City.
The artist’s paintings have appeared on the covers of books, magazines and newspapers, including a highly favorable New York Times article about Mr. Adoquei’s painting, “The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.” Last year a short documentary film about the artist, The Unseen Beauty directed by Gabriel De Urioste, was screened at the Manhattan Film Festival, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and several film festivals across the United States. Mr. Adoquei’s artworks have been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., and at other galleries and museums. The artist’s portraits are in the collections of The Harvard Club, New York City; Columbia University, New York City; Elliot Museum, Stuart, Florida; The National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida; The Long Island Museum of Art; Chateaux Pecany, Bergerac, France; and in many other private collections. Recently, the city of Pomport, Bergerac, France awarded Mr. Adoquei the City’s Medal of Honor for his contribution and dedication to the arts and culture of the area. In 2011, Mr. Adoquei was invited to join the Board of Advisors of the Portrait Society of America.