Anthony Sims

The Artist Behind the Code

In the quiet, artsy town of Beacon, New York, Anthony Sims begins his day the way most engineers might—monitoring system dashboards, fine-tuning automation algorithms, and leading a team of technicians to ensure Amazon's intricate web of robotics and logistics hums without a hiccup. But once the tools are down and the lab coat is hung, the hum fades into a different rhythm—one filled with brushes, canvas, and the glow of digital exhibitions stretching across time zones and continents.

At just 26 years old, Anthony is not only a Control Systems Engineer at one of the world's most technologically advanced companies—he's also a celebrated contemporary artist whose works have lit up Times Square, graced the walls of museums, and sold on digital marketplaces for record-breaking prices. His duality—equal parts coder and creator—isn’t a contradiction. It’s his signature.

But Anthony's story isn’t one of sudden success. It’s built on resilience, loss, and a hunger to carve meaning from both beauty and chaos.

The journey winds back to 2024, a pivotal year. It began with an exhibition in Florence, Italy—an ambitious and deeply personal showcase that carried not just Anthony’s talent, but also his grief. Earlier that year, he lost his best friend, Will Short, in a tragic car accident. The heartbreak didn’t break him. It fueled him. He poured his mourning into canvases, creating pieces that spoke to absence and memory, and carried Will’s name to galleries and hearts around the world.

Professionally, the same year marked a milestone: Anthony became one of the youngest control systems engineers to be hired at Amazon, overseeing operations that most engineers don’t reach until much later in their careers. His reputation for bridging intuition with innovation—much like his art—had become his edge.

The year before that, he was promoted to Control Systems Lead at CBRE, where his sharp eye for optimization streamlined operations across multiple industrial sites. That role was built on his earlier rise at Amazon in 2019, where he began as a Robotics Technician in Texas. Within a short time, he was promoted to Lead Robotics Technician—working not only with machines but mentoring people, leading teams, and solving complex system puzzles with calm precision.

But behind the schematics and software, there was always the artist.

Anthony’s rise in the art world wasn’t a coincidence. It began with a quiet but profound victory in high school: a cut-paper portrait that won “Best in Show,” alongside two Silver Keys from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These weren’t just awards—they were proof. Proof that his voice mattered. That his pain, his perspective, and his passion had a place.

Born on October 11, 1998, in Southaven, Mississippi, Anthony’s early years were marked by instability. In 2006, his father was deported—a loss that echoed through his childhood. Art became his escape, and later, his compass.

In 2020, his vision was validated when the Meridian Museum of Art acquired his work, making him one of the youngest artists ever to have pieces added to a permanent collection. From there, things moved quickly. In 2021, his digital painting “Not Sure About Myself, I Am Certain” shattered NFT records, launching him into global relevance. Exhibitions followed—London, Mexico City, Miami, Hong Kong—and billboards in Times Square featured his work, bold and uncompromising.

Each step forward—whether in a gallery or a data center—was a defiance of expectation. Anthony Sims had never chosen between art and engineering. He fused them. He blurred the lines. He made a life where both could breathe.

Now, as he walks the tree-lined streets of Beacon, Anthony is not defined by one title. He is an artist. An engineer. A storyteller in both code and color. And while the world sees his brilliance in headlines and exhibitions, the roots of it all trace back to a young boy in Mississippi—facing loss, choosing passion, and building a world where creativity and precision could coexist.

That’s where it all began.
And it’s only just the beginning.

 

 

This story was written by AI based on this prompt:

 "I would like [this essay] to be told as a story. It would begin at the end explaining what Anthony is doing now. And conclude with a clear picture on where it all began."