Adriano Adolfo Fernandez Nicot is a Cuban-American painter and poet based in Miami, Florida. Nicot was born on October 9, 1964, in Havana, Cuba during the early years following the Cuban Revolution. His French heritage from his mother’s family is significant as he is descended from Jean Nicot, who first brought tobacco to France.
Nicot displayed an interest and inclination toward the arts early in his childhood and was supported by his parents in his artistic pursuits. Nicot’s father found him drawing on the walls of his home and saw his deep potential as an artist. His parents subsequently enrolled him in art classes in Cuba’s Biblioteca Nacional later that year. There Nicot began his formal training in the arts, studying both art history as well as painting and sketching techniques. Another significant artistic influence in Nicot’s early artistic development were his regular visits with his grandfather to the residence of famed Cuban artist René Portocarrero. There Nicot would study Portocarrero’s works and then attempt to imitate their styles after returning from the visits.
Nicot is known for a distinctive Neo-Expressionist style and is closely associated with the prominent Cuban artists Antonia Eiriz, Manuel Vidal Fernández, and Hilda Vidal Valdés. After becoming established in Cuba, Nicot relocated to the United States in the late 1990s. His work has since been featured in several books and exhibitions in the US and in Latin America.
