Peter Adams

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 Instituto de Bellas Artes, San Miguel de Allende. However, it was not until he enrolled at the Lukits Academy of Fine Arts in Los Angeles that he finally found the traditional artistic philosophies he so admired. At the Lukits Academy, Adams spent seven years in diligent formal training, eventually becoming the personal apprentice to the renowned mural, landscape and portrait painter Theodore N. Lukits (1897-1992).

From his years with Lukits, Adams gained a heightened appreciation for Oriental objects and antiquities. At the Lukits Academy it was typical for students to study still-life compositions that consisted of original sculptures and porcelains from the various Chinese dynasties that were part of the Lukits personal collection. This interest later led to his traveling throughout Asia, and in 1980 Adams was 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.

Adams is a Signature Member of the California Art Club, Pastel Society of America and Plein Air Painters of America, as well as a Master Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America.

Since 1993 Adams has served as president of the prestigious California Art Club, which was established 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 more than 2,000 at present. Today, the California Art Club is recognized as a leading proponent in the current national traditional art movement.

He serves on the Board of Directors for the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, Calif., and is on the Advisory Board of Directors at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, as well as for the American Society of Portrait Artists in Montgomery, Alabama. In addition, he is an elected Associate Guild Member, Honorary Emeritus of the American Society of Classical Realism in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In May of 1997 Peter Adams was the recipient of the Gold Crown Award for Visual Art presented by the Pasadena Arts Council. Also in 1997, he co-founded the California Art Academy and Museum in Pasadena, California, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution designed to assure the continuation of high standards in traditional fine art. In 2007 the Autry National Center awarded Peter Adams with the John J. Geraghty Award for the advancement of traditional fine art in the American West. Also in 2007, Adams received the Gold Medal at the California Art Club’s 96th annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition.