Roker, Angelo

Angelo Roker (born 1929, Nassau, The Bahamas) is a self-taught artist who started out as a professional sign painter, following in the footsteps of his father, Lorenzo Roker.  

Roker became a self-taught historian, commercial artist and printer; he played an active role in the design of the Bahamian flag and was a notable designer of maps and an innovative fine artist.  His paintings were primarily seascapes and landscapes, using brush and palette knife.  

Starting in the late 1960's, Roker ran a print shop, museum, gallery, and antique shop on Harrold Road.   Angelo Roker's Art Center and Museum was in fact the first museum in the Bahamas devoted to fine art.  Bahamian art collector Vincent D'Aguilar recalls purchasing his first artworks from Roker, a dear friend, who he described as a very enthusiastic promoter of art works, and a great resource for anyone in the Bahamas with an interest in fine art.  

In 1980, Roker created an artistic map of the Bahamas depicting historical and cultural highlights, that was printed as a poster and sold throughout the Bahamas to tourists around the world.  

Roker moved to the U.S. in the early 1990s, after suffering a stroke, but continues to paint biblical scenes, boats and portraits - albeit now with his left hand - in his leisure time.