October 2, 1891

Adrian Brewer, an acclaimed artist who made Arkansas his adopted home, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Rosa Koempel Brewer and widely recognized portrait artist Nicholas Richard Brewer. Brewer married Edwina Cook of Hot Springs (Garland County), whom he met while accompanying his father on a portrait-painting commission. The younger Brewer established the Adrian Brewer School of Art; during World War II, he initiated a program to bring art to the average citizen. Beginning during the Depression, he painted more than 300 portraits of prominent Arkansas citizens. He is also known for his pastoral paintings of the Southwest and rural scenes in Arkansas.