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Leon Kelly Portrait Paintings

American, 1901-1982
Leon Kelly, born in 1901, studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. Awarded a traveling scholarship from that institution in 1924, he studied in Paris, France at the Grande Chaumiere. Other teachers included Arthur B. Carles, Jean Auguste Adolphe, Earl Horter and Alexandre Portinoff. Essentially a Surrealist painter, Kelly did wide-ranging work that went from painterly to meticulous Surrealism, Cezanne-inspired watercolors, and Cubist painting. In the 1940s, Julian Levy, the Surrealist dealer, handled Kelly's work in New York City. Kelly also exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art Annuals (1933-34, 1939-46, 1966); Corcoran Gallery Biennials, Washington, D.C. (three times from 1935-47); Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; had a 1965 retrospective exhibition at the International Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland; Long Beach, New Jersey (1968); Richard Feigen Gallery, Chicago, Illinois (1968, 1970); Newark Museum, New Jersey (1969); and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Kelly's paintings are in the collections of three New York city museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Whitney Museum of American Art; and Museum of Modern Art; as well as Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut; Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia; Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California; Sara Roby Foundation Collection at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts; Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Lincoln, Nebraska; Newark Museum, New Jersey; and the Tel Aviv Museum, Israel.
(Biography provided by Peyton Wright Gallery)
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Artist: Leon Kelly
Woman at Basin, Picasso Style Portrait of a Female Nude, American Modernist
By Leon Kelly
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Woman by Basin" by Philadelphia born modernist and surrealist painter Leon Kelly, is a framed and matted portrait of a female nude. The 22.5" x 17.75" mixed media on artist board i...
Category

1920s American Modern Leon Kelly Portrait Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Self Portrait, Oil on Board, Signed and Dated, 1925, American Modernist
By Leon Kelly
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Self Portrait" by Philadelphia born modernist painter Leon Kelly, is a moody and atmospheric self portrait of the artist in younger years at age 24. The 18" x 16" oil on board, fram...
Category

1920s American Modern Leon Kelly Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Secundo Congreso Feminino, Large Canvas Surrealist Female Group Portrait, 1969
By Leon Kelly
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Secundo Congreso Feminino " by Philadelphia born modernist painter Leon Kelly, is a large scale, surrealist painting of a group gathering showing women in the nude. The 60" x 42" oi...
Category

1960s Surrealist Leon Kelly Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lunar Encounter with Child, Surrealist Portrait, Oil on Canvas, 1958, Framed
By Leon Kelly
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Lunar Encounter with Child" by Philadelphia born modernist painter Leon Kelly, is a large, brightly colored surrealist portrait of two figures. The 40" x 30" oil on canvas was paint...
Category

1950s Surrealist Leon Kelly Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

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Previously Available Items
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Leon Kelly portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Leon Kelly portrait paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Leon Kelly in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Surrealist style. Not every interior allows for large Leon Kelly portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 21 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Edward Marecak, Lazzaro Donati, and Orovida Pissarro. Leon Kelly portrait paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,090 and tops out at $35,750, while the average work can sell for $17,750.

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