Nicholas Nadja is from Chicago IL, a contemporary artist. His work is focused in the practice of fine art paintings dealing with a scope between Realism and Surrealism with a factor of timelessness and old mastery.

Nadja attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design from 2012-2013 for a BFA in painting, when after the first semester, Nadja left his studies to pursue life in Florence, Italy. During 2013 Nadja practiced painting sustainable farming techniques on various farms throughout Tuscany region. The roots of Renaissance in Nadja’s work were born at this point of living throughout the Tuscan Hills and traveling until 2014.

Nadja attended the San Francisco Art Institute for one semester studying painting and sculpture for a year before he transferred to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago completing his BFA in 2017

Nadja opened his studio storefront in Chicago shortly after graduating from SAIC, and started teaching painting lessons in academic realism there. Afterwards Nadja opened a studio at the famous Zhou B Art Center where he worked on until 2018. Nadja relocated to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Mars Hill, NC for 3 years developing his craft in retreat, where he linked up with Mars Landing Gallery.

Nadja now works and lives in his studio in Richmond, VA. Nadja takes on private students on a rolling basis, in his studio and continues to teach on traditional oil painting and contemporary practice.

Nadja has been involved in several conservation projects across the country and assisted in many large scale art installations. Notably the renovations done at the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach. Nadja currently is working with a painting conservator in VA that specializes in old master techniques and practices for architectural painting and finishes.

Nadja has been acclaimed and reviewed for his academic realism in publications such as New City Magazine, Poets & Artists Magazine, Surrealism Today, Asheville Made, and Chicago Tribune and Palm Beach Post. He has exhibited at numerous galleries throughout the country, and he continues to expand his work into the contemporary art world at the age of 31.

Nadja takes clients on a limited basis