About Michael

  • Michael De Feo is an American artist based in New York City. He is widely known for his floral paintings...

    Michael De Feo is an American artist based in New York City. He is widely known for his floral paintings and street art which explore themes of ephemerality, growth, and the cycle of life. De Feo's penchant for flowers have earned him the nickname, "The Flower Guy." Michael has been creating works on the streets for over 30 years in more than 60 cities including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Cabo San Lucas, Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong and others.

     

    His work shows a wide range of influences and interests, including universal patterns in nature, improvisation, and the reality of the temporary nature of all things. He often adds his floral-inspired treatments and cascades of multicolored petals to existing printed images from the fashion world and art history/traditional art, which both subverts and celebrates the underlying image. Michael is intrigued by these manufactured versions of beauty and through the action of painting, he reacts to, examines, deconstructs, and transforms each underlying image with his unique flowers. These collage-like interventions are related to his earlier works in the streets of whimsical flowers sprouting on the unexpected spaces of city walls, bus-stop advertisements, and other surfaces.

     

    De Feo's work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries including The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; MASS MoCA, North Adams, Mass.; Colette, Paris; and the Museo de Arte, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Notable exhibitions include 2005's Two Atmospheres, at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT; 2008's Flowers at Manifesta 7 in Trento, Italy; 2016's solo exhibition at Danziger Gallery, New York; and 2016's Crosstown Traffic, a site-specific installation at Rice Gallery in Houston.

     

    Michael's takeover paintings atop fashion ads and photography have been profiled in The New York Times, VOGUE, Forbes, Paper, i-D, New York Magazine and countless other outlets. Michael has also collaborated with fashion brands including Neiman Marcus, Christian Louboutin, La Mer, MILLY, J.Crew, and most recently, Guerlain. Michael regularly supports non-profits such as Friends of the High Line and the Children's Museum of The Arts, both in New York City.

     

    De Feo's work has appeared in a variety of film documentaries including Alice Arnold's To Be Seen (aired on PBS/WNET and screened at The Museum of Modern Art, 2006); and Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop: A Banksy Film (Paranoid Pictures, 2010) which was an Academy Award best documentary nominee. De Feo's work has also been featured in over 40 books such as Trespass: A History of Uncommissioned Urban Art by Carlo McCormick, Marc & Sara Schiller, and Ethel Sono (Tachen, 2010); Paris Graffiti by Fabienne Grevy (Edition de La Martiniere, 2008); and Street Art by Duccio Dogheria (Giunti Editori, 2015).

     

    In 2004, Gingko Press published MIchael's first book, Alphabet City: Out on the Streets. This award-winning children's book employs New York City as his canvas, using his paintings glued on the streets of Manhattan to illustrate each letter of the alphabet. An initial review by Newsweek International said, "De Feo's art evokes beauty and optimism with a childlike simplicity while paying homage to gritty Manhattan." Alphabet City continues to be in release and is presently in its fifth printing.

     

    Michael's monograph, Flowers, was published by Abrams Books in April, 2019. This hardcover book documents his flower project from its genesis as a New York City street art project in 1993 up and through his various floral-inspired studio paintings and projects. Michael toured various museums and book shops across America and Europe in support of Flowers.

     

    In September 2022, Poster House New York published, Out of Fashion, a book focusing on a body of work that De Feo began in 2015, whose origin evolved from his newfound ability to access the advertsiing vitrines in city bus-stop shelters leading to his "advertising takeover" paintings. Released on the occasion of Poster House's exhibition, Masked Vigilantes on Silent Motorbikes, this speial edition is limited to only 500 signed copies.

     

    Michael is the recipient of a Clio Award in Fashion & Beauty, a D&AD Pencil award for Magazine Design, two Certificates of Design Excellence from Print Magazine, and the Radius Award from The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

     

    Michael lives and works in Manhattan.

  • Michael De Feo, C.V.

    (For Michael's complete C.V., please click here.)

     

     

    SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

     

    • 2022 Park House, Dallas, TX, From Behind the Glass
    • 2021 Hexton Gallery, Aspen, CO, Out of the Blue
    • 2019 198 Allen Street, New York, NY, Flowers Pop-Up Exhibition + Book Signing
    • 2016 Danziger Gallery, New York, NY, Michael De Feo
    • 2016 Rice Gallery, Rice University, Houston, Texas, Crosstown Traffic
    • 2016 The Garage, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, The Fashion Pages
    • 2014 Rush Arts Gallery, New York, NY, A Pocket Full of Posies
    • 2011 Orange Dot Gallery, London, UK, Coming in from the Outside
    • 2010 A'P'art: Le festival international d'art contemporain, Alpilles-Provence, France
    • 2010 No Borders Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, China, Mining for Splinters and Diamonds
    • 2009 Hollywood in Cambodia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, New Self-Portraits
    • 2008 Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Flowers
    • 2008 Manifesta 7, Trento, Italy, Flowers
    • 2008 Another Space, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Another Show
    • 2007 OPEN SPACE Gallery, Beacon, NY, Inside Out
    • 2007 Association le M.U.R., Paris, France, Olympia (Hommage à Manet)
    • 2007 A3 Art Fair, Paris, France, Michael De Feo: Drawings and Paintings
    • 2005 Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT, Two Atmospheres
    • 2005 Colette, Paris, France, Alphabet City
    • 2005 The New Museum Store, New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY, Alphabet City
    • 2003 90 Square Meters, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Michael De Feo
    • 2001 Halcyon, Brooklyn, NY, Michael De Feo
    • 1994 The Tunnel, New York, NY, Maskarave III, Flowers
    • 1994 The Rye Free Reading Room, Rye, NY, Michael De Feo

     

     

    SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

     

    • 2023 Waterfall Gallery, New York, NY, A Blooming Resilience, April 1 - June 3
    • 2023 Palazzo Reale, Milan, Italy, Presentazione del Contenitore di Cultura Contemporanea BAU Storia di una rivista d’artista ad assembling - 2004-2023, February 28
    • 2022 Poster House, New York, NY, Masked Vigilantes on Silent Motorbikes, September 9, 2022 - February 12, 2023
    • 2022 Core: Club, New York, NY, Mother Nature, March 28 - June 5
    • 2021 Marquee Projects, Bellport, NY, Pathological Landscape, opens August 6 - September 12
    • 2021 Craven Contemporary, Kent, CT, The Flowers: Featuring Alex Katz and Michael De Feo
    • 2017 School of Visual Arts Chelsea Gallery, New York, NY, Street Smart: The Intersection of Art and Design in the City
    • 2014 A'P'art: Le festival international d'art contemporain, Alpilles-Provence, France
    • 2014 Bleecker Street Arts Club, New York, NY, The 80's - Past & Present
    • 2013 Jonathan LeVine Gallery, New York, NY,10 Years of Wooster Collective: 2003-2013
    • 2013 Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
    • 2013 Stolenspace Gallery, London, UK, VII
    • 2012 Bibliotheque Toulouse, Toulouse, France, Cit'Imagine… une ville
    • 2011 Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami, FL, The Underbelly Show
    • 2010 Espace Blancs Manteaux, Paris, France, Le M.U.R. De L'Art
    • 2010 Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT, Gary Lichtenstein: 35 Years of Screenprinting
    • 2009 Angell Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Angell Group Show
    • 2009 Visual Arts Gallery, New York, NY, The Wilde Years: 40 Years of Shaping Visual Culture
    • 2009 Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, The Streets of Brooklyn
    • 2008 Anonymous Gallery, New York, NY, The Piece Process
    • 2008 James Turrell/Baker Pool, Greenwich, CT, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
    • 2008 Missouri State Penitentiary, Jefferson City, MO, Art Inside the Park
    • 2008 Galerie L.J. Beaubourg, Paris, France, Le M.U.R.,
    • 2007 Ad Hoc Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Behind the Seen, curated by Michael De Feo
    • 2006 Candle Building, New York, NY, Wooster on Spring
    • 2006 Neuberger Museum, Purchase, NY, Snackshop 5000: The Vending Machine Show
    • 2006 National Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 35th Independence Day Art Festival
    • 2006 Stay Gold Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Open Air
    • 2006 Iron Studios, Chicago, IL, Version > 06
    • 2004 Wooster Arts Space, New York, NY, Hollywood: The Remix
    • 2004 Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams, MA, The Interventionists: Art in the Social Sphere
    • 2003 New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY, I ♥ NY
    • 2003 Die Registratur, Munich, Germany, The Art of Rebellion
    • 2003 Kunstraum Kruezberg/Bethanien, Berlin, Germany, Backjumps: The Live Issue
    • 2002 Artists Space, New York, NY, Repellent Magazine

     

     

    BOOKS

     

    • 2022    Out of Fashion, by Michael De Feo and RJ Rushmore, Poster House, New York
    • 2021     One Thing Well: Twenty Years of Installation Art, Edited by Rainey Knudson. Text by Kimberly Davenport, Joshua Fischer, Nonya Grenader, Dave Hickey, et al., Rice Gallery Press, Houston, TX
    • 2019     Flowers, by Michael De Feo, Abrams Books, New York
    • 2017     Highbrow, Lowbrow, Brilliant, Despicable: Fifty Years of New York Magazine, by The Editors of New York Magazine, Simon and Schuster, New York
    • 2017     Read This If You Want To Be Great At Drawing, by Selwyn Leamy, Laurence King Publishing, London, UK
    • 2016     Eleven Spring by Marc & Sara Schiller, Shepard Fairey, JR, Randy Kennedy and Caroline Rafferty, Wooster Editions, New York
    • 2016     Art of Rebellion 4 by Christian Hundertmark, Publikat, Germany
    • 2015     Street Art by Duccio Dogheria, Giunti Editori, Italy
    • 2015     The Edge Becomes the Center: An Oral History of Gentrification in the 21st Century by DW Gibson, The Overlook Press, USA
    • 2015     Street Messages by Nicholas Ganz, Dokument Press, Sweden
    • 2014     Return Your Mind to its Upright Position by Nathan Lyons, Artisanworks Press, Rochester, New York
    • 2012     Home By Novogratz by Robert and Cortney Novogratz, Artisan, New York
    • 2012     The Mammoth Book of Street Art by JAKe, Running Press, UK
    • 2012     XCIA's Street Art Project: The First Four Decades by Hank O'Neal, Siman Media Works, New York
    • 2012     We Own The Night: The Underbelly Project by Workhorse, PAC, and Eric Haze, Rizzoli, New York
    • 2011     Graffiti 365 by Jay Edlin and Andrew Witten, Abrams Books, New York
    • 2011     ABOVE: Passport by Above, ZERO+ Publishing, Claremont, CA
    • 2011     HIGH LINE: The Inside Story of New York City's Park in the Sky by Joshua David and Robert Hammond, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York
    • 2011     The 3D Art Book by Tristan Eaton and Carlo McCormick, Prestel, USA
    • 2010     Le MUR/The Wall by Jean Faucheur, Kitchen 93, France
    • 2010     1,000 Ideas For Graffiti and Street Art by Cristian Campos, Rockport Publishers, USA
    • 2010     Muscle Up by Jeremyville and Robert Bergin, Curvy World Media, Australia
    • 2010     Untitled III: This Is Street Art by Gary Shove, Carpet Bombing Culture, UK
    • 2010     Trespass: A History of Uncommissioned Urban Art by Carlo McCormick, Marc & Sara Schiller, and Ethel Seno, Taschen, USA
    • 2010     Stuck Up Piece of Crap by DB Burkeman and Monica LoCascio, Rizzoli, USA
    • 2010     The Street Art Doodle Book: Outside The Lines by Dave the Chimp, Laurence King, UK
    • 2009     Street Art by Claudia Galal, Auditorium - Casanova e Chianura Edizioni, Italy
    • 2009     Untitled II: The Beautiful Renaissance by Gary Shove, Gingko Press, USA
    • 2008     Street Art by Ric Blackshaw and Liz Farrelly, RotoVision SA, UK
    • 2008     Street Art: In Memory Of... by Jens Besser, Roland Piltz and Tore Rinkveld, Die Verlagsgesellschaft, Germany
    • 2008     400 ML by Gautier Jourdain, Kitchen 93, Paris, France
    • 2008     UNTITLED. Street Art in the Counter Culture by Gary Shove, Pro-actif Communications, UK
    • 2008     Paris Graffiti by Fabienne Grevy, Editions de La Martiniere, Paris, France
    • 2007     Ice Pick by Thordis Claessen, Gingko Press, USA
    • 2007     Sticker City: Paper Graffiti Art by Claudia Walde, Thames and Hudson
    • 2007     Sticker City: L'art du graffiti papier by Claudia Walde, Editions Pyramid, Paris, France
    • 2006     NYC BCN: Street Art Revolution by Louis Bou, Collins Design, USA
    • 2006     New York City - 5th Edition by Beth Greenfield, Lonely Planet, USA
    • 2006     The Art of Rebellion 2 by Christian Hundertmark, Publikat/Stylefile, Germany
    • 2004     Alphabet City: Out on the Streets by Michael De Feo, Gingko Press, USA
    • 2004     Graffiti World: Street Art from five continents by Nicholas Ganz, Thames and Hudson, London, Harry N. Abrams, NY, Editorial Gustavo Gili, Barcelona, Graphic-Sha, Tokyo
    • 2004     Planete Graffiti: Street art des cinq continents by Nicholas Ganz, Editions Pyramyd, Paris, France
    • 2004     Street Logos by Tristan Manco,  Thames and Hudson, London
    • 2003     I NY by Kelly Burns, 4 AM Publishers, New York
    • 2003     The Art of Rebellion by Christian Hundertmark, Gingko Press, USA
    • 2002     Stick'em Up by Liz Farrelly, et al., Booth-Clibborn Editions, London

     

     

    AWARDS

     

    • 2016     Clio Award, Fashion & Beauty, Bronze, for Neiman Marcus The Book series, both covers of April issue
    • 2010     D&AD Award, Wood Pencil, Magazine & Newspaper Design, Magazine Front Cover, Best of the Year for Cover of New York Magazine’s “Reasons to Love New York” Issue
    • 2006     Certificate of Design Excellence for the Cover of New York Magazine's Double End of Year Issue, "Reasons to Love New York Right Now," Print Magazine Regional Design Annual, November/December
    • 2005     Radius Award, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT
    • 2005     Certificate of Design Excellence for “Alphabet City: Out on the Streets,” Print Magazine Regional Design Annual, November

     

     

    EDUCATION

     

    • 1997 - 1999     MAT, Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY
    • 1990 - 1995     BFA, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY