James Rielly, a Welsh artist, born in 1956, regularly exhibits his works internationally and to great acclaim.
Rielly’s works are subtle yet inherently dark, his use of humour and images to tell stories are a constant and are central to his art works. Slightly twisted psychology of the rites of passage is central to what Rielly’s works meditate upon regularly. The hesitation between life’s transitions depicted as we consider whether adolescences is genuinely innocent in light of how we behave as adults.
He has had various artist residencies in places such as The Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, USA 1984/85, Kunstlerhause Bethanien, Berlin 1988/89, and The Momart fellowship, Liverpool Tate gallery, 1995, and a residency at Auckland Print Studio in early 2019.
His works have been the subject of solo shows such as Sensible ways, Musee des Beaux-arts de Nates, France 1997, Centre d’art Nauchatel, Switzerland 1998, La Box, Bourges, France 2014. Beaux-Arts de Paris, Cabinet des Dessins Jean Bonna 2015.We lived our lives in the spiritual not the material word, 2016 and Stories for Mexican ghosts and children of all ages, 2018, Galeria Estereo. Mexico. Work, Rest and Play, CAC Malaga, Spain, 2022. Plus numerous group shows, Sensation- Saatchi collection, Royal Academy, London 1997. Outlook, Athens 2003, curated by Christos M Joachimides. Donation Florence et Daniel Guerlain, Centre Pompidou, Paris 2014
James Rielly lives and works in Paris and South West France.
1 . Biography
Present Lives and works in France
1956 Born in Wrexham, Wales.
1975-78 Gloucester College of Art & Design, Cheltenham, UK.
1977 Gloucester College of Art Travel Award.
1980-81 Belfast College of Art, Belfast, North Ireland.
1983 Lincolnshire and Humberside Arts Exhibition and Travel Award.
1984-1985 Fine Art Work Center, (fellowship) Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA.
1986 Greater London Arts Individual Artist Award.
1988-89 Künstlerhaus Bethanien, (fellowship), Berlin, Germany.
1989 Welsh Arts Council Grant.
1989 British Council Grant, London – Berlin.
1989-90 Greater London Arts Grant.
1995 Tate Gallery (MOMART fellowship), Liverpool, UK.
1995 Prize winner of the John Moores Award, John Moores Liverpool Exhibition 19.
1997 Shortlisted for the Jerwood Prize, London, UK.
2 . Solo Exhibitions
2024 The sun shines on everyone. Yiri Arts. Taipei, Taiwan. 16 May-15 June. 2024.
Visions and revisions. Buysse Gallery. Knokke-Heist. Belgium. 24 May-17 June.
2023 Hide and seek. Verduyn Gallery. Belgium. August 19- October 2023.
Work, rest and play, at Palau de Casavells. Alzueta Gallery. Spain. 24 March-18 June 2023.
Work, rest and play. Galeria Estereo . Monterrey. Mexico. February 1- March 31.
2022 Work, rest and play. CAC Malaga.
James Rielly in Reykjavik. Gangurinn the corridor. Reykjavik.
Almost everything in its correct place. Galerie Wittenbrink. Munich.
The sun shines on nearly everyone. Galeria Herrero de Tejada. Madrid.
2021 James Rielly. Alzueta Gallery. Barcelona.
2019 Born with a plastic spoon, knife and fork in my mouth. Monteverita. Paris. France
2018 Stories for Mexican ghosts and children of all ages. GE Galeria. Mexico.
2017 James Rielly, Flowers, Ghosts and Insects, A few short Stories, Galeria Herrero De Tejada, Madrid.
2016 Thinking things through, New Art Projects, London.
We lived our lives in the spiritual not the material world, GE Galeria, Mexico
Knock on wood, Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany
2015 Everything is something else. Hillsboro Fine Art, Dublin, Ireland.
Ty Hyll, Cabinet des dessins, Jean Bonna, Beaux-Arts de Paris, France.
Image on the edge, Galerie L’Inlassable, Paris.
2014 Ty Hyll- the ugly house, The Studio, Llandudno, North Wales; James Rielly, Cabinet des dess
“Punch Me.” La Box, Bourges, France.
“Ty Hyll.” The Studio, Llandudno, North Wales.
2013 “When I was young I would sit in the bath and ideas would come to me, now I am old I sit in the bath.”, James Rielly, Scott White Contemporary Art, La Jolla, CA. USA.
2012 James Rielly, Galerie Wittenbrink, Munchen, Germany.
“Nothing and something”, James Rielly, Galerie Charlotte Moser, Geneva, Switzerland.
2011 “What wisdom”, James Rielly, Ramis Barquet Gallery, New York, USA.
2010 “Spirits in the sky”, James Rielly, Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany
2009 James Rielly, I M Art Gallery, Seoul, South Korea.
2008 “Things that go bump in the day”, Studio d’Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy (cat.)
“New Works on Paper”, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough, UK.
“Proposal for 200 little ideas”, Galerie Charlotte Moser, Geneva, Switzerland.
2006 “Tell Me a Story”, Galeria Ramis Barquet, New York, USA.
“Full of Possibilities 2”, Galeria Ramis Barquet, Monterrey, Mexico.
“Nipples”, Galeria Distrito Cu4tro, Madrid, Spain.
2005 “Life of Rielly”, Timothy Taylor Gallery, London, UK (cat.).
2004 “Outside Looking Out”, Galeria Ramis Barquet, New York, USA.
“Made in France”, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris, France.
“2003 Made in East London”, Galeria Distrito Cu4tro, Madrid, Spain (cat.).
“Rex Irwin Fine Art”, Sydney, Australia.
“Late and Early”, a split-site installation at the Round Room, Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh and Timothy Taylor Gallery, London, UK.
2003 “Made in East London”, Galeria Distrito Cu4tro, Madrid, Spain (cat.).
“James Rielly”, Rex Irwin Fine Art, Sydney, Australia
“Late and Early”, a split-site installation at the Round Room, Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh and Timothy Taylor Gallery, London, UK.
2002 “James Rielly”, Centro de Arte de Salamanca (CASA), Salamanca, Spain (cat.).
“James Rielly”, Fond Regional d’Art Contemporain Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand (cat.).
“London Ghosts and Party Animals”, Galerie Voges & Partner, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
“James Rielly”, Studio D!Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy.
“James Rielly”, Archimedes Staffolini Gallery, Nicosia, Cyprus.
2001 “James Rielly”, Timothy Taylor Gallery, London, UK.
“James Rielly”, Edward Mitterand Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland.
“James Rielly”, Spencer Brownstone Gallery, New York, USA.
2000 “Casual Influences, Oriel Mostyn Gallery”, Llandudno, Wales (cat.).
1999 “James Rielly”, Spencer Brownstone Gallery, New York, USA.
1998 “James Rielly”, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris, France.
“James Rielly”, CAN, Centre d!Art Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
“James Rielly”, Patrick de Brock Gallery, Knokke, Belgium.
“James Rielly”, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK.
1997 “Sensible Ways”, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, Nantes, France (cat.).
1996 “James Rielly”, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK.
1995 “James Rielly”, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK.
1994 “James Rielly”, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK.
1993 “James Rielly”, Berning and Daw Fine Art, London, UK.
1992 “James Rielly”, Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany.
1990 “James Rielly”, Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich, Germany.
1989 “James Rielly”, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany.
1988 “James Rielly”, Alexander Roussos Gallery, London, UK.
1987 “James Rielly”, Carlile Gallery, London, UK.
1986 “James Rielly”, Carlile Gallery, London, UK.
1985 “James Rielly”, Bayer Gallery, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA.
“James Rielly”, Hudson D. Walker, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA.
1984 “James Rielly”, Hudson D. Walker, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA.
1983 “Artist in Residence”, Art & Research Exchange Galley, Belfast, North Ireland.
3 . Group Exhibitions
2024 Haf/Summer exhibition. Gallery Ten. Cardiff. Wales.
Sommerfrische. Galerie Wittenbrink. München . Germany.
15 years of Gallery Ten. Gallery Ten. Cardiff. Wales.
2023 Exposition Le Toucher du monde Commissariat :
Sylvie Carlier, directrice du musée municipal Paul-Dini, Villefranche-sur-Saône.
Laure Forlay, responsable du service des publics au FRAC Auvergne
Jean-Charles Vergne, directeur du FRAC Auvergne
MUSÉE MUNICIPAL PAUL-DINI. 18 mars – 17 septembre 2023.
Forty years of the corridor/ Gangurinn Gallery. National Gallery of Iceland. 3 February – 4 June 2023.
Cabinet des dessins. Beaux arts de Paris. Commissariat Hélène Gasnault. 8 Fevrier to 21 Avril 2023.
2022 Reveries. Verduyn Gallery. Belgium. 4 December 2022- 29 January 2023.
Gallery artists. Alzueta Gallery. Barcelona.
2019 Take your conscience to the Pawnshop. Terrace Gallery. London.
By way of Laughter and Trembling. Durden and Ray Gallery. Los Angeles.
Paintings in Paintings. Monteverita Gallery. Paris.
2018 Quel Amour. Commissaire de l’exposition, Eric Corne. Musee d’art Contemporain. Marseille. France
2017 Gallery Artists. GE Galeria, Mexico City.
Gallery Artists. Galeria Herrero De Tejada, Madrid.
Round Colours, Monteverita.Paris, Paris.
Microsalon 7, Galerie L’Inlassable, Paris.
2016 Utopie Pictural 3, Galerie Forma, Geneve.
L’Inlassable Galerie, Paris.
2015 L’Inlassable Galerie, Paris
2014 “House of Helfa”. Llandudno, North Wales.
“Home”. The Crossley Gallery, Dean Clough, Halifax, England.
Donation Florence et Daniel Guerlain Centre Pompidou, Paris.
2013 “Friends and Family”. Eva Hober galerie, Paris.
“Utopie Picturale”, Ville Dutoit, Geneva.
Galerie Charlotte Moser, Geneva.
Galerie Nosbaum and Reding, Luxembourg.
2011 “The Painter, the Draughtsman, the Dealer and their Lovers”. Voges Gallery, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Gallery Artists, Wittenbrink Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2010 “Works on paper”, Galerie Charlotte Moser, Geneva, Switzerland.
2009 “Fate and Freewill”, Cas, New York, USA.
2008 “Hope and Despair”, curated by Bob Matthews, Cell Project Space, London, UK.
“Philippe Cognee & James Rielly”, Galerie Sollertis, Toulouse, France.
2007 “El rey de la casa “(King of the house), Palau de la Virreina, Barcelona, Spain.
“Paper Baglady and Other Stories”, Timothy Taylor Gallery, London, UK.
2006 “World-Gone-Mad”, curated by Bob Matthews, Herbert Read Gallery, Canterbury, UK.
“Castlefield Gallery”, Manchester; Limehouse Arts Foundation, London, UK.
2005 “XS”, Galeria Distrito Cu4tro, Madrid, Spain.
“Spoilt Rotten”, Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown, Wales.
“(…) The duck was still alive”, Abbaye Saint-Andre, Centre d!art contemporain, Meymac, France.
2004 “Contre-Images”, Carré d!Art, Nimes, France (cat.).
“Summertime in the City”, Archimedes Staffolini Gallery, Athens, Greece.
2003 “Outlook”, curated by Christos Joachimedes, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece (cat.).
“Anthropography”, Frissiras collection, The Frissiras Museum, Athens, Greece.
“Child in Time: views of contemporary artists on youth and adolescence”, Gemeentemuseum Helmond, The Netherlands.
“Childhood”, CASA Centro de Arte de Salamanca, Spain.
“Telling Stories”, Vedanta Gallery, Chicago, USA.
“Il Grande Freddo”, curated by Luca Beatrice, In Dres, Turin, Italy.
“Once Again”, curated by Jane Harris in collaboration with Stephen Foster, Director, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, UK (cat.).
2002 “Portraits”, Edward Mitterand Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland.
“Intimacy”, Russell-Coates Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, UK.
“Disturb”, 1st Public School of Hydra, Hydra, Greece.
“La tête de l!emploi”, organised by FRAC Auvergne, Centre Culturel Valery Larbaud, France.
“Fame and Promise”, 14 Wharf Road, London, UK.
2001 “Snakes”, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, Nikolai Fine Art, New York, USA.
“Love You Always”, Damasquine Gallery, Brussels, Belgium.
“Strictly Painting II”, Voges & Deisen Gallery, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
2000 “The Double”, The Lowry Art Centre, Salford, Manchester, UK (cat.).
“La Spiritualità Nell! Arte’ Da Boccioni a Serrano”, Santuario di Oropa, Biella, Italy (cat.).
“James Rielly, Sophie von Hellermann, Markus Vater, Pat O!Connor, Jeffrey Dennis, “Timothy Taylor Gallery, London, UK.
“Drawings”, Spencer Brownstone Gallery, New York, USA.
“Y2K Fine Arts from the UK”, Archemedes Staffolini Gallery, Nicosia, Cyprus.
1999 “(Corps) Social”, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France (cat.).
“Arts Council Collection”, Towner Art Gallery and Museum, Eastbourne, UK.
“Growing Up Post Modern”, University Galleries, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA.
“Fresh Paint”, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland.
“British Portrait 1 – James Rielly”, Studio d!Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy.
1998 “Sorted”, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK.
“Tell Me a Story: Narration in Contemporary Painting and Photography”, Magasin – Centre National d!Art Contemporain, Grenoble, France.
1997 “Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection”, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK.
Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany.
Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, New York, USA (cat.).
“Les Péchés Capitaux: La Gourmandise”, Musée National d!Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France.
“Afternoon in the Park”, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK.
“B.O.N. GO”, Bricks and Kicks, Vienna, Austria.
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, UK.
“Pure Fantasy”, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno, Wales.
“Men on Women”, Oriel Gallery Theatre, Clwd, Wales.
1996 Galerie de la Tour, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
“Whitechapel Gallery Open”, Delfina Studios Trust, London, UK.
1995 “John Moores Liverpool Exhibition 19”, Liverpool, UK.
“Making it: process and participation”, Tate Gallery, Liverpool, UK.
Galerie Wittenbrinck, Munich, Germany.
1994 Gilmour Gallery, London, UK.
“The Fete Worse than Death”, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK.
1993 “East”, Norwich Gallery, Norwich, UK.
1992 London Buddhist Centre, London, UK.
1991 Britannia Works, London, UK.
1989 Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany.
1987 Carlile Gallery, London, UK.
Christopher Hull Gallery, London, UK
1986 Groucho Club, London, UK.
“Recent Acquisitions Show”, Art Association Gallery and Museum, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA.
1985 Bayer Gallery, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA.
“New Figurations”, Hudson D. Walker Gallery, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA.
1984 Hudson D. Walker Gallery, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA.
Art Association Gallery and Museum, Provincetown, Massachusetts, USA.
1983 “New Heritage – Welsh Arts Council”, Oriel Gallery, Cardiff, Wales.
4 . Catalogues and Publications
2010 “Spirits in the sky”, Galerie Wittenbrink, Munich Germany.
2008 “James Rielly: Things that go bump in the day”, Studio d’Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy.
2006 “Richer, Francesca, Rosenzweig, Matthew”, eds. No 1: First Works by 362 Artists.
2006 “Painting People”, Charlotte Mullins, Thames and Hudson.
2006 “James Rielly, Watercolours”, essay by Martin Herbert. Timothy Taylor gallery, Galeria Ramis Barquet.
2005 “Happy Birthday: 25 Years of Contemporary Art in the Deutsche Bank”, James Rielly’Birdbox, 2003′, colour illustrations, p.189.
2005 “Life of Rielly”, essay by Marc Oivier Wahler, Timothy Taylor Gallery, London.
2004 “Contre-Images”, essays by Régis Durand, Françoise Cohen and Daniel Buren, Carré d!Art, Nîmes, France.
2003 “James Rielly”, essay by Roy Exley, Distrito Cu4tro, Madrid, Spain.
2003 “Outlook”, curated by Christos Joachimedes, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece.
2002 “James Rielly”, interview by Maite Lorés and essay by Dan Fox, Centro de Arte de Salamanca, Spain.
2002 “James Rielly”, essay by Jean-Charles Vergne, FRAC d!Auvergne, France.
2001 “James Rielly”, essay by Dan Fox, Timothy Taylor Gallery, UK.
2000 “James Rielly”, essay by Emma Anderson, Oriel Mostyn Gallery, UK.
2000 “The Double”, essays by Emma Anderson, Gilda Williams, The Lowry Art Centre, UK.
2000 “5,6,7,8,9,0 – CAN”, essay by Marc Olivier Wahler, Centre d!Art Neuchatel, France.
2000 “La Spiritualita nell!Arte Da Boccioni a Serrano”, essay by Alberto Fiz
2000 “The Saatchi Gift to the Arts Council Collection”, The Arts Council of England, London, UK.
2000 “James Rielly”, Vergne, Jean-Charles (ed.), La Collection du FRAC d!Auvergne 1900-2000, FRAC d!Auvergne, France.
1999 (Corps) Social, L!Ensba, essay by Éric de Chassey Sorted, essay by Dave Freck, Ikon Gallery, UK.
1999 “Tell Me A Story”, essay by Yves Aupetitallot, Le Magasin Centre National D!Art Contemporain, Grenoble, France
1999 “Cork, Richard, Young British Art: The Saatchi Decade”, Booth-Clibborn Editions, London, UK.
1999 “A Companion Guide to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art”, UK. 1997 “Sensation: Young British Artists from The Saatchi Collection “(exhibition catalogue), texts by Brooks Adams, Norman Rosenthal, Richard Shone, Martin Maloney and Lisa Jardine, London: Thames and Hudson in association with the Royal Academy of Arts.
1997 “Sensible Ways”, essays by Stuart Morgan, Arielle Pélanc, La Salle Blanche, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France.
1997 “Jerwood Painting Prize !97”, text by Judith Bumpus, Jerwood Foundation, UK.
1995 “Making It: Process and Participation”, Fiona Bradley, Tate Galley Liverpool, UK.
5 . Public Collections
Arts Council of England, UK.
Dakis Joannou Collection, Athens, Greece.
Fonds National d!Art Contemporain, France.
Frissiras Collection, Athens, Greece.
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France.
Saatchi Collection, London, UK.
Sintra Museo de Arte Moderna, Portugal.
Tate Gallery, London, UK.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, UK.
La Collection du FRAC d!Auvergne, France.
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, UK.
CASA Salamanca, Spain.
The Deutsche Bank Collection, Germany.
Wurth Collection, Spain.
National Gallery of Iceland.