painter and printmaker, was born in Buffalo, NY. He studied at the Philadelphia College of Art until 1968, then came to Australia as a Fulbright graduate under the Australian American Education Foundation program and took up residence at Prahran Technical College and the National Gallery of Victoria School, Melbourne. He held his first Australian exhibition at Strines Gallery, Carlton, in June 1969. After returning to the US in 1970, he came back in 1975 as Dean of Art at the Victorian College of Art. He resigned in 1981 to work full time as an artist.

Kelly does realist paintings and drawings of nudes. His screenprints include a 'Cologne Cathedral’ series 1986-88, eg. no 4 (nude woman illus. in Interior Motives: The Mitchelton Print Exhibition 1988 , Benalla & Shepparton Art Galleries catalogue, 1988, page14). 'The Peace Show’, a series of prints, drawings and paintings produced 1989-93, was shown at Museum of Modern Art at Heide in 1993; later he produced a book and video of the project. He has held about 30 solo exhibitions etc., designed theatre sets and posters and made films. In the 1980s he initiated urban art and environment projects.

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Writers:
Staff Writer
Date written:
1996
Last updated:
2007