TONY FITZPATRICK (1958–2025) was a Chicago-based artist best known for his multimedia collages, printmaking, paintings, and drawings — work rooted in Chicago street culture, folk art, tattoo design, and the cities he traveled to throughout his life.
Fitzpatrick grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago, and his father worked as a burial-vault salesman on the South Side of Chicago. A product of the Catholic school system, he was repeatedly suspended or transferred for bad behavior — something he eventually did on purpose, just to ride along with his dad on sales calls and hear his stories about Chicago and life. Those rides shaped the way Tony came to see the world. As a child he drew constantly, with birds holding special significance; his grandmother used to say, "For the price of a piece of bread you can hear God sing."
In the 1980s, Fitzpatrick went to New York to experience the burgeoning art scene, spending much of his time in Washington Square Park selling drawings on the sidewalk. Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat became early supporters, buying his work and introducing him to New York galleries. The Neville Brothers — believing he was a Black artist from the South — approached him to create the cover for their album Yellow Moon, which Fitzpatrick credits with launching his career. The Nevilles also introduced him to New Orleans, a city he fell deeply in love with for its embrace of artists, misfits, and the down-and-out. He began showing in galleries in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and London around the same time.
Fitzpatrick then connected with Steve Earle, creating artwork for several of his albums beginning with I Feel Alright (1996), and later El Corazón and The Revolution Starts Now. In 1992, he founded Big Cat Press, a Chicago-based printmaking studio. He eventually settled into his Bucktown workspace, the Tony Fitzpatrick Studio.
In September 2007, he was awarded a solo show at MoMA PS1. In May 2008, a ten-year retrospective titled The Wonder, Portraits of a Remembered City opened at the Chicago Cultural Center. That same season, he was invited to participate in the inaugural New Orleans Biennial, an opportunity to pay tribute to the city he loved so well.
Fitzpatrick's work is held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and Miami, and the National Museum of American Art in Washington, DC. He authored or illustrated eight books of art and poetry, including The Hard Angels and The Neighborhood, and wrote a column for Newcity. As an actor, he appeared as Jack Birdbath in Steven Conrad’s series Patriot on Amazon Prime, as well as the films Mad Dog and Glory, Philadelphia, Primal Fear, Married to the Mob, and U.S. Marshals. Before making a living as an artist, he worked as a radio host, boxer, bouncer, bartender, and construction worker.
Tony Fitzpatrick was a Chicago legend — self-taught, restlessly creative, and a mentor to many.
Fitzpatrick grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago, and his father worked as a burial-vault salesman on the South Side of Chicago. A product of the Catholic school system, he was repeatedly suspended or transferred for bad behavior — something he eventually did on purpose, just to ride along with his dad on sales calls and hear his stories about Chicago and life. Those rides shaped the way Tony came to see the world. As a child he drew constantly, with birds holding special significance; his grandmother used to say, "For the price of a piece of bread you can hear God sing."
In the 1980s, Fitzpatrick went to New York to experience the burgeoning art scene, spending much of his time in Washington Square Park selling drawings on the sidewalk. Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat became early supporters, buying his work and introducing him to New York galleries. The Neville Brothers — believing he was a Black artist from the South — approached him to create the cover for their album Yellow Moon, which Fitzpatrick credits with launching his career. The Nevilles also introduced him to New Orleans, a city he fell deeply in love with for its embrace of artists, misfits, and the down-and-out. He began showing in galleries in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and London around the same time.
Fitzpatrick then connected with Steve Earle, creating artwork for several of his albums beginning with I Feel Alright (1996), and later El Corazón and The Revolution Starts Now. In 1992, he founded Big Cat Press, a Chicago-based printmaking studio. He eventually settled into his Bucktown workspace, the Tony Fitzpatrick Studio.
In September 2007, he was awarded a solo show at MoMA PS1. In May 2008, a ten-year retrospective titled The Wonder, Portraits of a Remembered City opened at the Chicago Cultural Center. That same season, he was invited to participate in the inaugural New Orleans Biennial, an opportunity to pay tribute to the city he loved so well.
Fitzpatrick's work is held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and Miami, and the National Museum of American Art in Washington, DC. He authored or illustrated eight books of art and poetry, including The Hard Angels and The Neighborhood, and wrote a column for Newcity. As an actor, he appeared as Jack Birdbath in Steven Conrad’s series Patriot on Amazon Prime, as well as the films Mad Dog and Glory, Philadelphia, Primal Fear, Married to the Mob, and U.S. Marshals. Before making a living as an artist, he worked as a radio host, boxer, bouncer, bartender, and construction worker.
Tony Fitzpatrick was a Chicago legend — self-taught, restlessly creative, and a mentor to many.