james
rielly
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.
Becoming. New plastic bag, 2025
Oil paint on canvas
71 x 61 cm
Full of possibilities, 2025
Oil paint on canvas
51 x 41 cm
Je ne suis pas le Roi, 2025
Oil paint on canvas
61 x 51 cm
education
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
British Council Grant, London – Berlin
1989-90
Greater London Arts Grant
1995
Tate Gallery (MOMART fellowship), Liverpool, UK
Prize winner of the John Moores Award, John Moores Liverpool Exhibition 19
1997
Shortlisted for the Jerwood Prize, London, UK
public collections
Ashmolean Museum. Oxford.
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.
collective 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.
Portrait of James Rielly in his studio, 2024 © Photo : Lucas Rielly
View of the exhibition "This is not a love song", Galerie Romero Paprocki Paris, 2025
© Photo : Allison Borgo
Birthday boy, 2025
Oil paint on canvas
61 x 51 cm
Je suis le Roi, 2025
Oil paint on canvas
61 x 51 cm
solo exhibitions
2024
Ty Hyll. Gallery Ten. Cardiff. 25 October-30 November
The sun shines on everyone. Yiri Arts. Taipei, Taiwan. 16 May-15 June
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
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
“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
Casual influences. Aberystwyth Arts Center. Wales. 27 January to 17 March 2001
2000
“Casual Influences, Oriel Mostyn Gallery”, Llandudno, Wales (cat.)
Casual influences. Chapter Arts Centre. Cardiff. 15 December 2000 to 20 January 2001
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
Against the dying of the light, 2025
Oil paint on canvas
71 x 61 cm
