Valentino Dixon
Artist · Exoneree · Advocate
He drew himself out of a cell. Now his work, in pencil and in policy, is redrawing what justice looks like in America.
A life reclaimed, one pencil stroke at a time.
Valentino Dixon is an American artist, exoneree and criminal justice reform advocate. His life became a parable about the power of art to save a person, and then, improbably, to save a life.
Born and raised in East Buffalo, Dixon was 21 when he was arrested in 1991 for a fatal shooting outside a street party. Eyewitnesses and another man's on-the-record confession were not enough. He was sentenced to 38½ years to life and sent to Attica Correctional Facility.
In his eighth year behind bars, an uncle mailed him colored pencils and a stack of paper. Dixon drew six to ten hours a day for two decades. In 2010 the warden asked him to render the 12th hole at Augusta National. He had never played golf. His luminous course landscapes became his signature.
A 2012 Golf Digest feature raised the first serious public questions about his conviction. Georgetown University's Prisons and Justice Initiative took up the case and surfaced new evidence. On September 19, 2018, he walked out of an Erie County courthouse a free man.
"If you reclaim your talent, you can reclaim your life."
What O+ delivered
The Art of Freedom media kit
Story, timeline, speaking programs and press record, built into one kit for producers, programmers and partners.
Documentary announcement
The June 16, 2026 release introducing the first full-length authorized documentary of his life, produced by Dixon himself.
Retail on national daytime
His art-driven golf apparel featured on The Tamron Hall Show, turning a decade of coverage into a brand.
"My story was never just about prison. It was about survival, faith, art, and refusing to let the world define me by a wrongful conviction."
From Attica to Augusta
- 1991The wrongful arrestArrested at 21 in Buffalo. Another man confesses the same night. The confession is disregarded.
- 1992The convictionSentenced to 38½ years to life. Sent to Attica.
- 1999The pencils arriveAn uncle's package of colored pencils. He draws for hours every day.
- 2010The 12th at AugustaThe warden's request launches his series of courses he has never seen.
- 2012Golf Digest goes publicMax Adler's investigative feature runs. The Golf Channel follows. The story goes national.
- 2017–2018Georgetown reopens the caseStudents in the Prisons and Justice Initiative expose a Brady violation.
- Sept. 19, 2018ExonerationThe conviction is vacated. After 27 years, Dixon walks free.
- 2019–TodayThe second actThe Art of Freedom Foundation. Golf Digest illustrator at the Masters. Exhibitions in New York, Buffalo, London and Dubai.
On the record
TODAY, CNN, BBC News, NBC, NPR, HBO Real Sports, Investigation Discovery, Golf Digest and The Tamron Hall Show. One story across every tier of the press.
Honors + collectors
- Gold Medal, The Vatican
- Two-time Emmy nominee
- Collectors: Michelle Obama and Barack Obama
- Invited guest, The Masters Tournament
- Credentialed illustrator, Golf Digest at Augusta
Exhibitions + commissions
- Solo exhibition, Andrew Edlin Gallery, NYC
- Burchfield Penney Art Center, SUNY Buffalo State
- Private exhibitions, Australia and United Kingdom
- Commissioned work, Sebonack Golf Club
- "Journey to Freedom" exhibition, Otterbein University
The art. The brand.
Book Valentino. Tell his story.
Keynotes, fireside conversations, museum programs, documentary, podcast and broadcast. Media and interview requests go through O+ Media Group.