Leon Kelly Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
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.to
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Artist: Leon Kelly
Two Studies of Henriette (Head of the artist's wife & The Artist's wife writing
By Leon Kelly
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Two Studies of Henriette (Left: Head of the artist's wife, Right: The Artist's wife writing a letter)
Watercolor and graphite on paper, 1928-1930
Signed in pencil lower right (see photo)
Image/sheet size: 9 3/8 x 11 inches
Condition: Excellent
Colors fresh and unfaded
Provenance: Estate of the artist
The Orange Chicken...
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Untitled Female Nude with Male, Original Drawing by Surrealist Painter
By Leon Kelly
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"Untitled Female Nude and Male" is a 22 x 17 inches, ink on paper drawing by American Surrealist painter Leon Kelly. The drawing is signed and dated in the lower right, it is matted ...
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1960s Surrealist Leon Kelly Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
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Archival Ink, Archival Paper
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Leon Kelly figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Leon Kelly figurative drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Leon Kelly in archival ink, archival paper, ink 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 figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Raphael Soyer, Harold Haydon, and Donald Stacy. Leon Kelly figurative drawings and watercolors prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,600 and tops out at $3,000, while the average work can sell for $2,300.