Ferrari Sheppard

Ferrari Sheppard
Sheppard in 2020
Born	Ferrari Elite Sheppard (1983-03-03) March 3, 1983 (age 42) Chicago, Illinois, US
Alma mater	School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2006)
Style	Figurative art Abstract art

Ferrari Sheppard (born 1983) is an American artist. His artistic style is influenced by Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly and Joan Mitchell, as well as Harlem Renaissance figures like Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden. ^[1] Sheppard is also a member of the hip-hop duo Dec 99th, alongside Yasiin Bey. The duo's album, December 99th, was released in 2016. ^[2] Sheppard lives and works in Los Angeles, California. ^[3]

Early life

Sheppard was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1983. ^[4] After his family returned to Chicago from New York City, Sheppard pursued his passion for the arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). ^[5]

Career

In 2016, Sheppard returned to painting, marking a significant change in his career. He adopted the canvas as his main medium, producing works characterized by layered textures and vivid colors to convey intricate emotional landscapes. ^[6] His art combines figurative and abstract elements to address themes such as cultural heritage, memory, and self-actualization. The artwork invites viewers to engage with narratives that are both introspective and broadly relatable. Sheppard is represented by Massimo De Carlo. ^{[7] [8]}

In May 2025, Sheppard was featured in Vogue Magazine’s Met Gala Issue as part of its Superfine Suiting portfolio, which highlighted artists and cultural figures shaping contemporary aesthetics and identity. ^[9]

Exhibitions

• 2024: Modality – Massimo De Carlo, Hong Kong ^[10]

• 2024: Jubilee – UTA Artist Space, New York, NY ^[11]

• 2023: Crucible, Massimo De Carlo, Museum of Villa Torlonia (Rome), Rome, Italy ^[12]

• 2023: Portal Study, Massimo De Carlo, Frieze Los Angeles, CA ^[13]

• 2022: Tremendous, Massimo De Carlo, London ^[14]

• 2022: Walking Together, Massimo De Carlo Pièce Unique, Paris ^[15]

• 2021: Dark Bodies Bright Crest, Maruani Mercier, Brussels Belgium ^[16]

• 2021: Positions of Power, UTA Artist Space, Beverly Hills, CA ^[17]

• 2020: Heroines of Innocence – Wilding Cran Gallery, Los Angeles, CA ^[18]

Group Exhibitions

• 2024: Effetto Notte: Day for Night,New American Realism, National Gallery of Ancient Art, Rome, Italy ^[19]

• 2022: La Vie en Rose, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Chicago, IL ^[20]

• 2022: Interscope Reimagined, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA ^[21]

• 2021: Where to begin…, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Paris, FR

• 2020: MoAD Benefit Auction, San Francisco, CA ^[22]

• 2020: Black Voices Black Microcosm – CF Hill Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden ^[23]

• 2020: LACMA Group Exhibition – Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA

Selected Collections

• Aïshti Foundation, Lebanon ^[24]

Discography

As Dec 99th with Yasiin Bey

• December 99th (2016)

References

1. "Pick of the Week: Ferrari Sheppard". Artillery Magazine. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
2. "Listen to Yasiin Bey's (Mos Def) New Album December 99th". Pitchfork. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
3. "Ferrari Sheppard". MARUANI MERCIER. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
4. "Ferrari Elite Sheppard". Capitoline Museums. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
5. "Ferrari Sheppard: Heroines of Innocence". The Brooklyn Rail. October 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
6. "Artist Ferrari Sheppard Talks Creativity, Twitter, and Abstraction". Los Angeles Times. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
7. "Massimo De Carlo". Frieze. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
8. "Ferrari Sheppard". Massimo De Carlo. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
9. "Superfine Suiting". Vogue. Condé Nast. May 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
10. "Ferrari Sheppard: Modality". ArtFacts. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
11. "Ferrari Sheppard at High Line Nine". High Line Nine. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
12. "Ferrari Sheppard at Villa Torlonia Museum". Comune di Roma. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
13. "All the Best Art and Design We Saw at the 2023 Frieze Week in Los Angeles". Sight Unseen. February 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
14. "Ferrari Sheppard: Tremendous". FAD Magazine. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
15. "Ferrari Sheppard: Walking Together". ArtFacts. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
16. "Dark Bodies, Bright Crest". Artland. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
17. "Ferrari Sheppard UTA". Flaunt. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
18. "Artist Ferrari Sheppard Finds Solace in Renditions of Black Joy". Cultured Magazine. 7 January 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
19. Nell Olivia Waga (5 May 2024). "Inside 'Day For Night: New American Realism' at Palazzo Barberini in Rome". Forbes. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
20. "Ferrari Sheppard Now Represented by Mariane Ibrahim Gallery". ARTnews. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
21. "Interscope Records Celebrates 30 Years With Star-Studded Exhibition at LACMA". Artnet News. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
22. "Art Auction 2022". Museum of the African Diaspora. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
23. "Black Voices: Black Microcosm". Artnet. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
24. "Aïshti Foundation". Aïshti. Retrieved 20 November 2024.

External links

• Official website