Fontaine Scarelli

Fontaine Scarelli

Chicago-born and raised, Fontaine Scarelli is an abstract expressionist painter whose work electrifies the art world with a blend of raw emotion and philosophical depth. A former fashion design student, Scarelli made an unconventional leap into painting, bringing with him a sense of defiant creativity and a visual language that’s entirely his own.

Scarelli’s canvases, often large-scale and immersive, pull viewers into a narrative space where time, memory, and perception collide. Drawing on influences from post-apocalyptic films, The Twilight Zone, and a solitary upbringing, his work speaks to existential themes of life, death, and the dissonance between reality and illusion. Each piece channels his fascination with the strange and the sublime, blending rebellion and introspection in a way that defies traditional boundaries.

This past year has seen Scarelli’s career take off, with solo exhibitions, collaborations with influential galleries like Virgil Catherine and Loisir Art Gallery, and a debut at Miami Art Basel through Luminaire. His pieces have graced spaces from Saks Fifth Avenue to design studios, and he’s been featured on Amy Kartheiser’s ‘Meet the Maker’ series, all solidifying his standing as a rising ...

2008-2011: Fashion Design/Bachelor of Arts in fashion design, The Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago, United States

Fontaine Scarelli

Born: 1987, Chicago, Illinois

Resides and works in Chicago, Illinois

Education

• 2008-2011: Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design, The Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, Illinois

Art Fairs

• 2023 – Glencoe Festival of Art, Chicago, IL

• 2023 – Gold Coast Art Fair, Chicago, IL

• 2023 – One of a Kind Spring Show, Chicago, IL

Selected Exhibitions

• 2024 – Fractured Continuum, Solo Exhibition, 737 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL

• 2024 – Temporal Nexus, Poliform, River North Design District Fall Gallery Walk, Chicago, IL

• 2024 – Miami Art Basel, Presented by Luminaire, Miami, FL

• 2024 – O.S.D. 7, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL

• 2024 – O.S.D. 6, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL

• 2024 – O.S.D. 5, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL

• 2023 – Mindscapes, HAZ Cooperative Studios, Chicago, IL

• 2023 – O.S.D. 4, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL

• 2023 – O.S.D. 3, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL

• 2023 – O.S.D. 2, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL

• 2022 – O.S.D. 1, Greenleaf Art Center, 1806 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL

Gallery Representation

• Virgil Cat...