Kadir Nelson (May 15, 1974) is a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

–based painter, illustrator, and author who is best known for his paintings often featured on the covers of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...

'' magazine, and album covers for

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

. His work is focused on

African-American culture African-American culture refers to the contributions of African Americans to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. The culture is both distinct and enormously influential on Ameri ...

and

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

. ''

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'' describes his work as: "sumptuous, deeply affecting work. Nelson’s paintings are drenched in ambience, and often overt symbolism. He has twice been a

Caldecott honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...

recipient and won the 2020

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...

for his book ''The Undefeated''.

Career

In 1996, Nelson began his career as a conceptual artist for

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spi ...

's feature film '' Amistad'', and the animated feature film '' Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron''. Nelson has since designed several commemorative postage stamps for the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal government of the Uni ...

including stamps featuring

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

Joe Dimaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Ya ...

, and Richard Wright. He has also authored and/or illustrated over 30 picture books including, ''Brothers of the Knight'' by actress

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...

, ''WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball'', which was featured on the cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

'' magazine, and ''Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans''. In 2013, Nelson was commissioned to paint his first cover for ''

'' magazine, a portrait of

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

. Nelson has since created several memorable covers for the magazine including, ''Eustace Negro'', ''Schomburg Center, Harlem, New York'', and ''A Day at the Beach''.

Early life and education

Nelson was born in Washington D.C., and grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey and

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, California, the son of author Emily Gunter and educator Lenwood Nelson. He received his early training in art from his uncle, Michael Morris, who is an artist and art instructor. Both his uncle and his high school art teacher taught him important artistic principles and techniques, including how to paint with oils. After developing an impressive portfolio during high school, Crawford High in San Diego, Kadir Nelson earned a partial scholarship to the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Nelson earned his BFA from

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was founded in 1887 ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

in 1996.

Works

In August 1999, Nelson’s paintings depicting

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

scenes were featured in ''

'' magazine on its opening ''Leading Off pages''. They were some of the first paintings in a series of works that led to Nelson writing and illustrating a book commemorating the history of the Negro Baseball Leagues entitled, ''We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro Leagues Baseball,'' published by ''

Jump at the Sun Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints inclu ...

'' in 2008. Nelson’s critically acclaimed authorial debut was created over the span of seven years and earned Nelson the

Sibert Medal The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal established by the Association for Library Service to Children in 2001 with support from Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc., is awarded annually to the writer and illustrator of the most distinguished in ...

, a

Coretta Scott King Author Award The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award ...

and Illustrator Honor. ''We Are the Ship'' was released by ''

Brilliance Audio Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econom ...

'' as an audiobook in 2009, narrated by voice actor Dion Graham. In 2008, Nelson was commissioned by the

US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

to paint the official portrait of Representative Shirley Anita Chisholm. The original painting hangs in the US Capitol Building in

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. In 2017, Nelson was commissioned to paint a portrait of

Henrietta Lacks Henrietta Lacks (born Loretta Pleasant; August 1, 1920 – October 4, 1951) Note: Some sources report her birthday as August 2, 1920, vs. August 1, 1920. was an African-American woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line, ...

to promote

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

’s upcoming film, ''

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' (2010) is a non-fiction book by American author Rebecca Skloot. It was the 2011 winner of the National Academies Communication Award for best creative work that helps the public understanding of topics ...

'', based on the book by

Rebecca Skloot Rebecca L. Skloot (born September 19, 1972) is an American science writer who specializes in science and medicine.Jessica Teisch, "Floyd Skloot & Rebecca Skloot", in ''Bookmarks'', May/June 2010. Her first book, ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta ...

. The painting was exhibited at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in

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, Maryland and other venues. The painting was later co-acquired by the Smithsonian museums National Portrait Gallery and the

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...

Album cover art

Nelson created the mural used as cover art for

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

's 2002 album '' Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories''. In 2005, Nelson was contacted by

to create a commissioned painting of the ''

King of Pop Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

''’s life story. The commission was delayed and shelved for several years until the untimely death of the singer in 2009. Upon which Nelson was tapped to resume the portrait to be used later for the posthumously released album titled ''

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

''. On Friday, December 10, 2010, a poster depicting the ''Michael'' album artwork was erected at the Rectory Farm in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, which broke a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for the largest poster in the world. In 2013, Nelson was contacted by recording artist

to create two covers for his album ''

Nothing Was the Same ''Nothing Was the Same'' is the third studio album by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on September 24, 2013, through OVO Sound, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records. Work on the record began in 2012 and cont ...

''. The album artwork became a signature work for the recording artist, and the subject of multiple internet memes. The album remained on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artist ...

sales chart for more than 400 weeks after its release in 2013.

Recognition and honors

Nelson has received multiple Gold and Silver Medals from the New York

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. History Founding The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...

. In February 2014, Nelson was awarded the

Hamilton King Award The Society of Illustrators is a Professional association, professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. History Founding The Society of I ...

for best illustration of the year. Nelson is also the recipient of three

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

s for his illustrated picture books, and the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Best Illustrated Book for ''We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball''. Nelson is a two-time

Caldecott Honor Award The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servi ...

winner. In 2020, Nelson won the

and

Coretta Scott King Award The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award re ...

for his illustrations in '' The Undefeated''. He received an

for the book ''Just the Two of Us''. For his book, ''We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball'', he received the 2008

CASEY Award The Casey Award has been given to the best baseball book of the year since 1983. The award was begun by Mike Shannon and W.J. Harrison, editors and co-founders of ''Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine''. Casey Award recipients *1983 – E ...

for best baseball book, the 2009

, and the 2009 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. His book, ''

,'' was a Coretta Scott King Honor book in 2014.

Exhibitions

Nelson has had exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the United States and the world, including the

Muskegon Museum of Art The Muskegon Historic District is a public and residential historic district in Muskegon, Michigan, consisting of the four blocks between Clay Avenue, Webster Avenue, Second Street, and Sixth Street, and the two blocks between Webster Avenue, M ...

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

, and The Studio Museum in Harlem. Kadir Nelson's portrait of Henrietta Lacks was recently jointly acquired by The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Lacks' portrait was commissioned by HBO.

Bibliography

Illustrations only unless otherwise indicated. * ''Brothers of the Knight'' by

. Dial, 1999. * ''Big Jabe'' by Jerdine Nolen.

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...

, 2000. * ''Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream '' by Deloris and Roslyn Jordan.

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pub ...

, 2000. * ''Dancing in the Wings'', Debbie Allen. Dial, 2000. * ''Just the Two of Us'' by

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

Scholastic Scholastic may refer to: * a philosopher or theologian in the tradition of scholasticism * ''Scholastic'' (Notre Dame publication) * Scholastic Corporation, an American publishing company of educational materials * Scholastic Building, in New Y ...

, 2001.(

) * ''Please, Baby, Please'' by Spike and Tonya Lee. Simon & Schuster, 2002. * ''Under the Christmas Tree'' by Nikki Grimes. HarperCollins, 2002. * ''The Village that Vanished'' by

Ann Grifalconi Ann Grifalconi (September 22, 1929 – February 19, 2020) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. Born in New York, she studied art at the Cooper Union School of Art, where she received a certificate in advertising art in 1950. ...

. Dial, 2002. * ''Thunder Rose'' by Jerdine Nolen.

Harcourt Harcourt may refer to: People *Harcourt (surname) * Harcourt (given name) Places Canada *Harcourt Parish, New Brunswick * Harcourt, New Brunswick, an unincorporated community * Harcourt, Ontario, a village *Harcourt, Newfoundland and Labrad ...

, 2003. * ''Ellington Was Not a Street'' by

Ntozake Shange Ntozake Shange ( ;
FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018. October 18, 1948 – October 27, 2018) ...

. Simon & Schuster, 2004. (

) * ''He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands'', illustrated by Kadir Nelson, based on the traditional song lyrics. Dial, 2005. * ''The Real Slam Dunk'' by Charisse Richardson. Dial, 2005. *''Hewitt Anderson’s Great Big Life'' by Jerdine Nolen. Simon & Schuster, 2005. * ''Please, Puppy, Please'' by Spike and Tonya Lee. Simon & Schuster, 2005. * '' Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom'', by Carole Boston Weatherford, Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, 2006 (2007

Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...

book) * '' Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad'',

Ellen Levine Ellen Levine (born Ellen Rose Jacobson) (February 19, 1943 – November 6, 2022) was an American media executive. From 2006 to 2016, she served as the Editorial Director of Hearst Magazines, and served as a consultant to Hearst from January 2017. ...

. Scholastic, 2007.(2008

book) * ''Michael's Golden Rules'' by Deloris Jordan, introduction by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

. Simon & Schuster, 2007. * '' We Are the Ship:The Story of Negro League Baseball'', written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, foreword by

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. One of the gre ...

, Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, 2008. * ''Abe's Hones Words'', by Doreen Rappaport.

Hyperion Hyperion may refer to: Greek mythology * Hyperion (Titan), one of the twelve Titans * ''Hyperion'', a byname of the Sun, Helios * Hyperion of Troy or Yperion, son of King Priam Science * Hyperion (moon), a moon of the planet Saturn * ''Hyp ...

, 2008. * ''Change Has Come: An Artist Celebrates Our American Spirit'', quotations from Barack Obama, black and white line drawings by Kadir Nelson. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009. * ''Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson'', by Sharon Robinson, Scholastic, 2009; * ''All God's Critters'', song lyrics by

Bill Staines William Russell Staines (February 6, 1947 – December 5, 2021) was an American folk musician and singer-songwriter from New Hampshire who wrote and performed songs with a wide array of subjects. Called "the Woody Guthrie of my generation" by s ...

, Simon & Schuster, 2009 * ''Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya'', by

Donna Jo Napoli Donna Jo Napoli (born February 28, 1948) is an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, as well as a linguist. She currently is a professor at Swarthmore College teaching Linguistics in all different forms (music, Theater (structure ...

, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2010, * ''A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis'', by Matt de la Peña, Dial Books, 2011, * ''Nelson Mandela'', written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, 2013, * ''Baby Bear'', written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, 2014, * ''If You Plant a Seed'', written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, 2015, * * ''Blue Sky, White Stars'', written by Sarvinder Naberhaus and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, 2017, * '' The Undefeated'', written by

Kwame Alexander Kwame Alexander (born August 21, 1968) is an American writer of poetry and children's fiction. His verse novel ''The Crossover'' won the 2015 Newbery Medal and was selected as an Honor book for the Coretta Scott King Award. Personal life and edu ...

and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, 2019,

References

External links

*
Nelson at AALBC.com

Nelson at publisher Simon and Schuster