Francis
Kelly was born in St Paul Minnesota. He served with the United States Navy
until 1948 when he entered the Art Centre School in Los Angeles. He studied at
the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris in 1951/52, after which he studied
at the University of Hawaii followed by the University of California.
Awarded a Fulbright grant in 1955, he came to the Graphic
Department of the Central School in London where he decided to take up
residence. He and his family had a strong association with Devon which he
visitsed whenever possible, and where the gentle countryside greatly inspired
much of his work.
Exhibitions of his work have been held at twenty-four British
Museums. He was called on by the Italian Art and Archives Fund to restore flood
damaged paintings in Florence and he published two books, 'Art Restoration' and
'The Studio and the Artist'.
Kelly
passed away in October 2012.
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