William Kelly was a painter and printmaker. 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, Kelly 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’s realist paintings, prints and drawings of were of the nude, often seen from above, in some cases on billiard tables, so the image could be hung in any orientation. 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 held about 30 solo exhibitions etc., designed theatre sets and posters and made films. In the 1980s he initiated urban art and environment projects. He was a humanist and human rights advocate, and founder of the Archive of Humanist Art. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)for Services to Visual Arts and Urban Design.
Kelly died in Nathalia on 21 July 2023, where in 2010 he and his partner Veronica Kelly had initiated the G.R.A.I.N. Store, a community gallery, workshop and performing space. He was an affiliate artist and supporter of the Baldessin Studio.
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- Writers:
- Staff Writer
James McArdle
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2026
