Peter Adams
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Biography
Contemporary American artist Peter Adams was born in Los Angeles on August 27, 1950. He received his training at Art Center College of Design, Otis Art Institute, Instituto de Bellas Artes, San Miguel de Allende, and at the Lukits Academy of Fine Arts in Los Angeles. At the Lukits Academy, Adams spent seven years, from 1970 to 1977, in diligent formal training, including four years as the personal apprentice to the renowned classical painter of murals, landscapes, and portraits, Theodore N. Lukits (1897-1992).
From his years with Lukits, studying still life compositions consisting of sculptures and porcelains from various Chinese dynasties that were part of the Lukits personal collection, Adams gained a heightened appreciation for Asian objets d'art and antiques. This interest later led to Adams traveling throughout Asia, and in 1981 he became the first American artist to travel and paint unescorted through the People’s Republic of China. His fascination for Asia gained him great acclaim when, in 1987, he was the only American artist to travel and paint with the Mujahideen rebels in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan. Today, Adams combines Eastern design concepts with the Western sense of depth through atmosphere.
Since 1993 Adams has served as president of the historic California Art Club, which was established in 1909 and is one of the largest and most active professional arts organizations in the country. Under his leadership, the Club’s roster has grown from 80 members to nearly 3,000 at present. Today, the California Art Club is recognized as a leading proponent of the current national realist art movement.
Selected Collections
Arco Towers, Los Angeles; The Beach Club, Malibu; Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA; California Club, Los Angeles; Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard; Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles; Forbes Magazine Collection, New York; Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA; The Irvine Museum, Irvine, CA; Joan Irvine Smith, Irvine, CA; Jonathan Club, Los Angeles; Our Savior Church and Caruso Catholic Center at USC, Los Angeles; Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA; Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA; Stephen’s College, Columbia, MO; and Trust Company of the West, Los Angeles.
Professional Memberships
Signature Member, California Art Club; Signature Member, Pastel Society of America; Emeritus Member, Plein Air Painters of America; Master Signature Member, Oil Painters of America; Associate Guild Member, Honorary Emeritus, American Society of Classical Realism
Commitment to the Arts Community
Peter Adams has served on the Boards of California Art Club; Pacific Asia Museum; Pasadena Museum of California Art; Academy of Art University; and the American Society of Portrait Artists
Selected Publications
Newspapers & Magazines: Los Angeles Times, Pasadena Star-News, American Artist, American Art Collector, American Art Review, Art of the West, Fine Art Connoisseur, Plein Air Magazine, Western Art Collector, and Southwest Art
Books: Painting California: Seascapes and Beach Towns by Jean Stern & Molly Siple, foreword by Elaine Adams, Published by Skira Rizzoli, 2017; California Light: A Century of Landscapes by the California Art Club by Jean Stern & Molly Siple, Published by Rizzoli International, 2011; Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice by Mitchell Albala, Published by Watson-Guptill, 2009; Enchanted Isle: A History of Plein Air Painting in Santa Catalina Island by Jean Stern, Molly Siple & Roy C. Rose, Published by The Society for the Advancement of Plein Air Painting, 2003; From Sea to Shining Sea: A Reflection of America with essays by Jean Stern, John Cosby & Gil Dellinger, Published by Haggin Museum, 2004; Leading the West by Donald J. Haggerty, Published by Northland, 1997
Peter Adams is listed in Wikipedia under “Peter Seitz Adams”
Press and Publications
Peter Adams and Jim McVicker featured in Epoch Times July 13, 2021
It’s a first for Sotheby’s NY. From July 16 through to July 26, the prestigious auction house will host an online sale titled “Contemporary Realism: Important 21st-Century Works.” A total …
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Peter Adams Featured in Tehachapi News as “Noted Artist to Join Art 2020”
Pasadena artist Peter Adams, president of the California Art Club, is one of the many prestigious artists expected to attend Art 2020 in Tehachapi in May when more than 35 …
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Peter Adams Interviewed by Colorado Boulevard.net, March 3, 2019
Here is one more occasion for art lovers to enjoy the wonderful building formerly hosting the Pasadena Museum of Contemporary Art. From March 3 to March 29 the main gallery …
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Peter Adams Featured in Art of the West, May/June 2017
Peter Adams admits to being somewhat of a rapscallion in his early years. When he was a junior, the military school he was attending instituted an art program. Unimpressed with …
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American Art Collector Magazine, April 2016 Issue, Notes ALFA Artists Peter Adams, Jennifer Moses, Alicia Ponzio, Mian Situ and Christopher Slatoff
California Art Club’s 105th annual Gold Medal Exhibition pays tribute to its pioneering artists while showcasing art that pushes boundaries. With more than 200 contemporary-traditional paintings and sculpture on display, …
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Peter Adams in Glendale New-Press and Burbank Leader March 21, 2016
For decades, Los Angeles and surrounding cities have been a center for art and artists, with major venues like the Getty and the Museum of Contemporary Art, and entire movements …
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Peter Adams and Tim Solliday: Continuing the Legacy at Palos Verdes Art Center featured in American Art Collector Magazine January 2016
Hungarian American artist Theodore N. Lukits (1897-1992) is noted for his California impressionist landscapes and his figurative artwork. He also was a teacher who specialized in a classic approach to …
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American Art Collector, April 2015, Peter Adams and Tim Solliday
The California Art Club’s 104th annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition displays top-quality works from California and beyond. Before Elaine Adams became executive director of the California Art Club in 1993, …
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Peter Adams Featured in Western Art Collector Magazine October 2013 Issue
Peter Adams monumental 14 Stations of the Cross commission showcases the power of art and religion at Our Savior Church, adjacent to the University of Southern California. My friend Peter …
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Peter Adams Featured in the San Marino Tribune July 11, 2013 Issue
Look closely, and you just might recognize one of the subjects of Peter Adams’ fourteen paintings of the Stations of the Cross located inside Our Savior Church at the new …
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Peter Adams on Front Page of Pasadena Star News for USC Commission to Paint ’14 Stations of the Cross’ August 1, 2011
Spending the night locked in Jerusalem’s ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with a light attached to his head, was just one way artist Peter Adams prepared to compete for …
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Peter Adams Featured in Southwest Art Magazine April 2011 Issue
The California Art Club has brought attention and respect to the genre of realist art. The story is now part of California Art Club lore, often repeated and well known …
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Peter Adams Painting Appears in Art of the West Magazine Winter 2011 Issue
This is a big year for the California Art Club—and a big year for art lovers. The club will be celebrating its 100th anniversary with a series of art exhibitions …
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Peter Adams Featured in Shanghai-based “Focus Magazine” June 2010
Contemporary American artist Peter Adams was born in Los Angeles on August 27, 1950 and received his training at Art Center College of Design, Otis Art Institute, and Institute de …
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Peter Adams Featured in Art of the West Magazine March/April 2002
Afghanistan is a world away from Peter Adams’ comfortable home and studio in Pasadena, California. Yet the war against terrorism being fought in the Middle East, as a consequence of …
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Los Angeles Times – Peter Adams, Art of War: Pasadena Painter Captures the Essence of Afghanistan, February 23, 1989
Hidden under a sheet and surrounded by Afghan rebel soldiers in an ambulance, Peter S. Adams of Pasadena bumped his way across the legendary Khyber Pass into Afghanistan. In billowy …
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Herald Express (Women’s World) Peter Adams Sr. and Son: Let the Boys Cook, August 13, 1959
We are delighted to have a very fine father, Peter Adams, well known screen, TV and stage actor, and his attractive, gentle, manly, 8-year-old son, Peter Adams Jr., as our …
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