Born into a remarkably artistic and talented family, Tomasz Rut was raised in Warsaw, Poland. His passion for art came from his mother - an artist and art teacher - and his interest in the classical human form came from watching his father, a three-time Olympic champion, excel as an athlete. Rut displayed a prodigious artistic talent from an early age; when he was only 11, his first drawings were exhibited in a solo gallery show. Rut decided to nurture his natural talent formally at both the Pratt Institute in New York and the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. While in Warsaw, Rut studied painting and was awarded a Master’s degree in Conservation.

Currently living and working in Hollywood, Florida, Rut finds inspiration in the art of the Renaissance and the Baroque periods; his talent is at its most admirable in his classical paintings. Depicting the struggle and beauty of human experience, Rut also ages his vibrant paintings, imitating the style of Italian frescoes. Of his art, Rut says, “By this juxtaposition of spiritual versus physical, I hope to convey the quality that transcends time and suggests the eternal nature of our ethical struggle between right and wrong. Hence, beauty and decay.”

Rut’s artwork can be found in more than ten permanent museum collections, including the Smithsonian Institution. Perhaps most notably, Rut’s pieces “Be Not Afraid” and “Nolite Timere” were recently accepted as part of the Vatican collection. His piece “Olympica” was under review to be an official image of the 2012 Olympics.