About Kadir Nelson, Illustrator and Author

Born to an African-American family in Washington, DC, now based in San Diego, Kadir Nelson graduated with honors from the Pratt Institute in New York. A prolific and award-winning artist, he has nearly 20 books in print, as well as commissioned works and art exhibits at prestigious museums and galleries in the U.S. and abroad. He has illustrated children’s books for such authors as Ntozake Shange, Debbie Allen, Deloris and Joslyn Jordan, Spike and Tonya Lee, and Carol Boston Wetherford. Nelson was the lead conceptual artist for the films Amistad and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, both from Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks Studio. He has designed postage stamps and painted a portrait of the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. His artwork is found in advertisements for such companies as Coca-Cola, State Farm, the San Diego Padres and Major League Baseball, as well as editorial artwork for Sports Illustrated, the New Yorker and Playboy, among others.

Nelson’s work conveys a sense of identity and emotion which communicate the strength of the subject. Working primarily in oils, each portrait he creates is intimate, almost casual, yet profound in its historical significance. He has said, “My focus is to create images of people who demonstrate a sense of hope and nobility. I want to show the strength and integrity of the human being and the human spirit.”