Simmie Knox is an American painter and was the first African-American to paint the official portraits of a US president and First Lady. Born in 1935 in Alabama, Knox moved to Philadelphia during the Great Migration as a young adult to escape segregation and racial discrimination, as well as pursue better economic opportunities. Knox graduated with a BFA and an MFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University.
In the 1970s, Knox was active as an abstract artist and contributed to the Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. In 1971, he showcased his work at The Corcoran Gallery of Art as part of the Thirty-Second Biennial of Contemporary American Painting.
By the 1980s, Knox found himself more drawn to portraiture. He has painted portraits of prominent figures, including U.S. Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as well as Oprah Winfrey and Muhammad Ali. In 2000, Knox was commissioned to paint Bill and Hillary Clinton. Throughout his career, he held teaching positions at numerous educational institutions across Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
Knox's work has been exhibited nationally in many public and private collections, including the Maryland State Art Collection, Oklahoma State Capitol Collection, and the United States Senate, among others.