Black Hat

30" x 30" Edition of 3 + 2 Artist Proofs
45" x 45" Edition of 3 + 2 Artist Proofs
60" x 60" Edition of 3 + 2 Artist Proofs
70" x 70" Edition of 3 + 2 Artist Proofs

Tyler Shields is a photographer, film director, and writer, best known for his images of Hollywood celebrities. Known for his controversial and volatile and off-handed images, representative of his trademark edgy, and often risqué, a style which frequently draws criticism. his photographs capture much of the most over-the-top, brutal aspects of contemporary celebrity culture he has become a creative tour de force in the photography and film industries.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, and now recognized as “Hollywood’s favorite photographer”, contemporary artist and filmmaker Tyler Shields’ evolution from the “bad boy of photography” with his controversial blood-stained photographic series featuring Lindsay Lohan to the more subtle color-explosive poesy of his Chromatic series, and his work featuring Francesca Eastwood (Clint’s daughter) to the fire-starting bag-sawing antics of a $100,000 Hermes Birkin Bag, to the stoic magic surrealism of Suspense, a project shot in the New Mexico desert featuring Francesca Eastwood, Emma Roberts, and Lydia Hearst, Mr. Shield’s art captures the emergence of an artist and his medium into a more mature overture and output. Tyler Shields is an American image-maker.

Daring and suggestive, Shields’ photographs push the envelope to create a thought-provoking experience for each viewer. His work contains its own unique dialogue, with subjects ranging from historical figures to representations of modern materialism. Shields’ list of celebrity subjects makes his photography notably eye-catching.

Tyler Shields’ work moves through the complexes and layers of the “celebrity” sphere, into an inherently tangible vision of the portrait in the 21st-century. What does it mean to be alive in the 21st century? How does it look? How will it look in the future? No stranger to controversy, he is certainly not afraid to shock his viewers in his artistic attempt to convey his answers to such questions. His photographs are iconic and are making their mark in the history of photography.

With international acclaim as a photographer cemented, Shields has stretched his artistic endeavors even further to write and publish several books, including The Dirty Side of Glamour, The Smartest Man, and Provocateur. The past year has been especially impressive for Shields, as he collaborated on a limited-edition merchandise collection with Urban Outfitters, created an evocative documentary with YouTube Red, and many of his photographs have been auctioned off at Sotheby’s.