Sid Chidiac was born in Sydney, Australia and at the age of five his family moved to Lebanon. He grew up near the museum of Kahlil Gibran, author of The Prophet who was also an accomplished artist. Gibran’s work inspired Sid throughout his childhood and he carried that with him when he returned to Australia.

At the age of 23, Sid started his creative endeavors by experimenting with colored glass. He created 14 leadlight (similar to stained glass) panels that told mythological stories. The series won Sid the Young Achiever award in 1994 that is given to artists under the age of 24.
Sid studied at The Julian Ashton Art School beginning in 1995. Ashton is a unique and historic school established in 1890 that remains one of Australia’s finest schools of art. Sid had the privilege of studying under Nigel Thompson, who twice won the Archibald Prize, Australia’s premiere portraiture award.

Sid’s focus in school was oil on canvas and he showed his work in group exhibitions in Sydney beginning in 1995. He held his first solo exhibition in 1999 and was successful in selling his work without an agent or dealer.
After completing his studies at Ashton, Sid took a sabbatical and traveled the world with the purpose of visiting the finest art museums and galleries. Between 1999 and 2002, he visited 20 countries, including the States. He returned to Manhattan in early 2003 with an exhibition at the Australian Consulate in New York entitled Modern Portraits. The show was scheduled to run for two weeks but was extended.

Sid began a huge abstract rendition of The Last Supper at a window art installation at Chashama Theatre, an excellent venue in Times Square that offered great exposure to artists. It was a privilege for Sid to be in the center of New York with thousands of people per hour watching him paint such a large piece.

Then there was the chocolate.

It all started with an idea to paint entirely edible portraits of a diverse group of people in chocolate. His first show of chocolate portraits was entitled Flavor of New York and was exhibited at the Sixth Annual Chocolate Show in Manhattan. The exhibit opened in November 2003 and was a huge hit with the thousands of attendees -- and the media. Sid was profiled on NPR, The Chicago Tribune, and The New York Daily News, among many other media outlets.

Sid returned to Australia where his work received extensive media coverage. He donated several paintings to local charities that benefited kids in need. He was also able to organize a children’s art auction that raised $10,000 for Sydney Children’s Hospital.
Sid has gone on to exhibit his chocolate paintings in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Sydney, and Kuwait. In a little over one year, Sid has been interviewed by more than 150 TV, Internet, newspaper, radio, and magazine media outlets.

Sid plans to pursue his work in both chocolate and oil. His oil paintings vary greatly in response to what people commission from him. He is proud that his chocolate and oil paintings are hanging across the globe and seeks to remain innovative but also universal with his art. Most importantly, Sid has a deep passion for charity and wants to organize exhibitions that benefit young cancer patients in the States and around the world.