Ferrari Elite Sheppard (born March 3, 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. 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. Sheppard lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
Early life Sheppard was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1983. 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).
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. 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.
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.
Exhibitions 2024: Modality – Massimo De Carlo, Hong Kong 2024: Jubilee – UTA Artist Space, New York City 2023: Crucible, Massimo De Carlo, Museum of Villa Torlonia, Rome, Rome, Italy 2023: Portal Study, Massimo De Carlo, Frieze Los Angeles, California 2022: Tremendous, Massimo De Carlo, London 2022: Walking Together, Massimo De Carlo Pièce Unique, Paris 2021: Dark Bodies Bright Crest, Maruani Mercier, Brussels Belgium 2021: Positions of Power, UTA Artist Space, Beverly Hills, California 2020: Heroines of Innocence – Wilding Cran Gallery, Los Angeles, California
Group Exhibitions 2024: Effetto Notte: Day for Night, New American Realism, National Gallery of Ancient Art, Rome, Italy 2022: La Vie en Rose, Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2022: Interscope Reimagined, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California 2021: Where to begin..., Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Paris, France 2020: MoAD Benefit Auction, San Francisco, California 2020: Black Voices Black Microcosm – CF Hill Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden 2020: LACMA Group Exhibition – Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
Selected Collections Aïshti Foundation, Lebanon
Discography
As Dec 99th with Yasiin Bey December 99th (2016)
References
External links Official website