Nicholas Samartis

Nicholas Samartis is a contemporary artist working across several mediums including sculpture,^[1][2] photography, film, art installations and as a creative director.^[3] He is also known for his photographic artworks and portraiture in American Vogue.^[4][5][6]

Nicholas Samartis
Nationality	Australian
Occupation(s)	Contemporary artist Sculptor Photographer

Biography

Samartis has worked with U.S Conde Nast,^[7][8] The New York Metropolitan Opera^[9][10] and during a decade long career with the US Vogue^[11][12][13] he worked with many notable icons, including Academy Award winners, Anne Hathaway, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Cate Blanchett and among others, Keira Knightley, Hugh Jackman, Amy Adams,^[14] Naomi Watts, Ashley Judd, Katie Holmes, Gerard Butler, Evan Rachel Wood, and music superstars, Prince, Tom Petty, Billy Joel. And artists including Jeff Koons.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]}

Samartis received 'The 'Pinnacle Award' for photography at The Australian Design Biennale in the year 2014.^[10] He was featured in the Australian edition of Masters of Photography in 2015.^[22] He was one of the 2016 finalists for the National Portrait Prize at The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra and a finalist in Paddington Art Prize and his sculptures have been featured at Sculpture by the Sea in 2021.^[23][24][25]

In 2018, inspired by the 1960s brutalist frieze designed by Pablo Picasso, Collegi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya, Samartis designed and created the major work 'All You Need is Love',^[26] a 5-meter x 2-meter brutalist wall with 65 hand-made and individually colored resin blocks in a font sourced from Dutch master-graphic-designer, Jurriaan Schrofer, for Crystalbrook Collection, helmed by Ghassan Aboud. The words, All You Need Is Love were originally written by John Lennon.^[27][28][29]

In December 2021, Samartis was selected out of hundreds of applicants to exhibit at the inaugural show, opening the newly minted Woollahra Gallery^[30] (formerly Redleaf Library^[31]) in a group show along with 3 other notable artists.^[32][33][34]

In March 2022, Samartis was announced as the recipient of the prestigious Andrea Stretton Award for sculpture.^[35]

Exhibitions

• Blue Period – Solo show at The Downtown Standard Hotel, Los Angeles.^[36]
• National Gallery, Canberra – National Portrait Prize Finalist group show 2016.^[24]
• M2 Gallery – Group Show, 2016^[37]
• Words Matter – Solo Show at Stylecraft Sydney, 2017^[38]
• Antumbra – A summer group exhibition, Olsen Gallery, Sydney, 2018^[39][40]
• WhiteWall Art Project- Group Show, 2018 Sydney.^[41]
• Penumbra – Group show, Olsen Gruin Gallery, New York. 2019^[42][43][44]
• Sculpture by the Sea – Bondi 2021^[45][46]
• Woollahra Gallery (at Redleaf) group show 2021–22.^{[30][32][33][34]}
• Sculpture by the Sea – Cottesloe, Perth. 2022^[47]