Ramon KELLEY (born 1939). - Lot 153

Ramon KELLEY (born 1939). "Faces Set of four etchings on paper Signed and numbered. H_29,5 L_22,5 cm. Ramon Kelley (b. 1939, Cheyenne, Wyoming) is an American painter renowned for his figurative portraits and nudes. Of Irish-Mexican origin, he grew up in a large family. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he studied at the Colorado Institute of Art, but was largely self-taught. Influenced by artists such as Nicolai Fechin and John Singer Sargent, he began his artistic career in the 1960s, initially as an illustrator, before devoting himself fully to art after a decisive encounter with a gallery in Taos. Kelley is best known for his introspective portraits and depictions of Hispanic and Native American women, which he treats as "human landscapes". His works in a variety of media are exhibited in museums such as the New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts and the US Military Academy Museum. A member of the Pastel Society of America, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1986. He currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with his family, and his two sons have also pursued artistic careers.