Christopher Pelley
Christopher Pelley was born 1955 in Pittsburg Pennsylvania to Canadian parents. He attended Syracuse University and received his BFA summa cum laude from Arizona State University. Pelley has traveled extensively across Europe, India, North Africa, Mexico and China and his paintings reflect his diverse cultural and geographical experiences. “Richly painted and abundant with metaphoric imagery, the works are not only aesthetically pleasing but intellectually complex” states Julie Sasse, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Tucson Museum of Art. Critic Joyce B Korotkin adds “Pelly forces the past and present to co-exist on the same plane echoing the manner in which successive civilizations rise and fall on top of one another”.
His work may be difficult to classify into a precise genre. Often categorized as a Post- Modernist, at heart he is a realist, able to depict subjects with the dexterity of an old master, yet at the same time he has a vision for the purely abstract.
Galleries in Arizona, California, Illinois, New York and Canada have represented Pelley’s work. His work has been acquired by public and private collections including the Austin Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, The Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Hechinger Collection in Washington, DC.
EDUCATION:
1975-77 Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ BFA Summa cum Laude
1973-75 University, Syracuse, NY
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2008 Deception of Desire, Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2007 Here and There, Ogilvie-Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005 pocrypha, Ogilvie-Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL
- Lexicon, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, ON, Canada
- Recurrent Themes, Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2004 Journeys (to places I’ve never seen), Cultural Exchange Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2003 Chinoiserie, Robischon Gallery, Denver CO
2002 Ancient Histories, West Valley Art Museum, Surprise, AZ
2001 Ancient Histories, The Cultural Exchange Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2000 The Times of the Day, The Cultural Exchange Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
- Labyrinthine, Visual Arts Gallery, County College of Morris, Randolph, NJ
1999 Greco/Roman, Monique Goldstrom Gallery, New York, NY
- Still Life, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, ON, Canada
1997 From Arcadia to Zeuxis, Arts in the Academy, The National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
- Pentimentos, The Cultural Exchange, Scottsdale, AZ
1993 Small Constructed Narratives, Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
1989 Paintings, Works on Paper, Marilyn Butler Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ
1988 Allegory, Marilyn Butler Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ
1987 Narrative Paintings, Saxon Lee Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1986 Paintings / Constructions, Marilyn Butler Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2008 10 years: Hungarian International Artists Residents, Vizivarosi Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- Fresh, Ogilvie-Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL
2007 Individual Format, Pickled Art Center, Beijing, China
- Extreme Media, Balatonfured Congress Center, Balatonfured, Hungary
- Summer!, Applegate Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2006 Do It Yourself: the Art of Tools, Phoenix Airport Museum, Phoenix, AZ
- Focus, Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
- In the Viewing Room: Paintings by David Kroll, Christopher Pelley and Jamie Brunson, Robischon Gallery, Denver, CO
2005 Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, ON, Canada
2004 Small Wonders, Ogilvie-Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL
2003 Dichotomies, Robischon Gallery, Denver, CO
- Water, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, ON, Canada
2001 Looking at Landscape, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, ON, Canada
1999 Magic Realism, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA (catalogue)
1998 Hindsight, Joseph Gross Gallery, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
- Space and Surface, Monique Goldstrom Gallery, New York, NY
1997 Tools as Art, Selections from the Hechinger Collection, National Building Museum, Washington, DC
1995 Incontro / Encounter, Tribeca 148 Gallery, New York, NY (catalogue)
- Buoys: Marking the Place, Renegade Spaces Exhibition, curated by Bill Bace, New York, NY
1994 The Box Show, K & E Gallery, New York, NY
- Italy-America, CastellodiDucale, Crecchio, Italy (catalogue)
- Reality and Beyond, BEMIS Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NF,
- 10x10: Ten Dealers Pick Ten Artists, Tribeca 148 Gallery, New York, NY
- Varied Visions: Interpretations of the Landscape, Virginia Miller Gallery, Coral Gables, FL
1992 Evento, APE Gallery, New York, NY
- Art of the Spirit, The Center for Transcultural Exchange, New York, NY
- Contemporary Realists, Bentley Tomlinson Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
1990 Monotypes from the SharokhRezvani Workshop, Nelson Fine Arts Center,
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
- Musical Instruments in Art, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale, AZ
1989 Tools, San Francisco Airports Commission Exhibition Program, San Francisco, CA (catalogue)
1988 Four Square Feet, SazamaBrauer Gallery, Chicago, IL
- Food in Art, Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, AZ
1987 The Current Landscape, Felicita Foundation for the Arts, Escondido, CA (catalogue)
- Point of View: Landscapes by Martha Armstrong, Jane Everhart and Christopher Pelley,
- SazamaBrauer Gallery, Chicago, IL
- Landscape in the Age of Anxiety, Lehman College Art Gallery, The City University of New York,
- The Bronx, NY and The Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH (catalogue)
- The Romantic Landscape, Monique Knowlton Gallery, New York, NY
- Southwest '85, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM (catalogue)
- New Masks for Modern Living - an Invitational, Phoenix Art Museum Phoenix, AZ
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
2003 Denver Westword, April 10, Michael Paglia, exhibition review
- Oakville Beaver, July 11, Craig MacBride, exhibition review, photo
2002 Philadelphia Inquirer, March 12, Edward Owen, exhibition review
- Amarillo Globe News, April 12, Alan J Heavens, exhibition review, photo
- The Arizona Republic, June 23, John Carlos Villani, exhibition review, photo
2000 Santa Fean, January, Jeanette Alt, article, photo
1999 N Y Arts, Vol 4, #12, Joyce Korotkin, article
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 21, Mary Thomas, exhibition review
- Cover, Vol 13, #2, Joyce Korotkin, exhibition review, photo
1998 M The New York Art World, December, Joyce Korotkin, article
- Omaha World-Herald, September 16, Kyle Macmillan, exhibition review, photo
1992 Arizona Republic, January 10, Richard Nilsen, exhibition review
- Scottsdale Daily Progress, November 23, Joe Young, exhibition review, photo
- Arizona Republic, December 1, Richard Nilsen, exhibition review, photo
- Los Angeles Times, February 27, Colin Gardner, exhibition review
- San Diego Union, October 8, Robert Pincus, exhibition review
- Los Angeles Times, October 16, Leah Ollman, exhibition review
- Art Week, January 25, Victoria Beaudin, exhibition review, photo
- Phoenix Gazette, January 15, David Eskes, article, photo
1985 Art in America, September, David Bell, exhibition review, photo
- Phoenix Home and Garden, September, Ellie Schultz, article, photo
- Scottsdale Daily Progress, September 13, installation review, photo
1984 Arizona Republic, September 12, Richard Nilsen, exhibition review
- New Times Weekly, September 19, Chuck Andresen, exhibition review, photo
1983 Arizona Arts and Travel, March/April Carol Kotrozo, exhibition review
- Artspace Magazine, Spring, Barbara Cortright, exhibition review, photo
RESIDENCIES:
2006 International Artist’s Residency, Budapest, Hungary
2007 Ucross Foundation, Clearmont, WY
- Red Gate Artist Residency, Beijing, China
SELECTED COLLECTIONS:
American Express Corporation, New York, NY
Arizona State University Art Collections, Tempe, AZ
Austin Museum of Art, Austin, TX
The Hechinger Collection, The National Building Museum, Washington, DC
Hungarian Multicultural Center, Budapest, Hungary
McDonalds Corporation, Oakbrook, IL
Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
Progressive Corporation, Cleveland, OH
Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA
1975-77 Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ BFA Summa cum Laude
1973-75 University, Syracuse, NY
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2008 Deception of Desire, Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2007 Here and There, Ogilvie-Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005 pocrypha, Ogilvie-Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL
- Lexicon, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, ON, Canada
- Recurrent Themes, Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2004 Journeys (to places I’ve never seen), Cultural Exchange Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2003 Chinoiserie, Robischon Gallery, Denver CO
2002 Ancient Histories, West Valley Art Museum, Surprise, AZ
2001 Ancient Histories, The Cultural Exchange Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2000 The Times of the Day, The Cultural Exchange Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
- Labyrinthine, Visual Arts Gallery, County College of Morris, Randolph, NJ
1999 Greco/Roman, Monique Goldstrom Gallery, New York, NY
- Still Life, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, ON, Canada
1997 From Arcadia to Zeuxis, Arts in the Academy, The National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
- Pentimentos, The Cultural Exchange, Scottsdale, AZ
1993 Small Constructed Narratives, Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
1989 Paintings, Works on Paper, Marilyn Butler Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ
1988 Allegory, Marilyn Butler Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ
1987 Narrative Paintings, Saxon Lee Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1986 Paintings / Constructions, Marilyn Butler Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2008 10 years: Hungarian International Artists Residents, Vizivarosi Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- Fresh, Ogilvie-Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL
2007 Individual Format, Pickled Art Center, Beijing, China
- Extreme Media, Balatonfured Congress Center, Balatonfured, Hungary
- Summer!, Applegate Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2006 Do It Yourself: the Art of Tools, Phoenix Airport Museum, Phoenix, AZ
- Focus, Larsen Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
- In the Viewing Room: Paintings by David Kroll, Christopher Pelley and Jamie Brunson, Robischon Gallery, Denver, CO
2005 Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, ON, Canada
2004 Small Wonders, Ogilvie-Pertl Gallery, Chicago, IL
2003 Dichotomies, Robischon Gallery, Denver, CO
- Water, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, ON, Canada
2001 Looking at Landscape, Abbozzo Gallery, Oakville, ON, Canada
1999 Magic Realism, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA (catalogue)
1998 Hindsight, Joseph Gross Gallery, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
- Space and Surface, Monique Goldstrom Gallery, New York, NY
1997 Tools as Art, Selections from the Hechinger Collection, National Building Museum, Washington, DC
1995 Incontro / Encounter, Tribeca 148 Gallery, New York, NY (catalogue)
- Buoys: Marking the Place, Renegade Spaces Exhibition, curated by Bill Bace, New York, NY
1994 The Box Show, K & E Gallery, New York, NY
- Italy-America, CastellodiDucale, Crecchio, Italy (catalogue)
- Reality and Beyond, BEMIS Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NF,
- 10x10: Ten Dealers Pick Ten Artists, Tribeca 148 Gallery, New York, NY
- Varied Visions: Interpretations of the Landscape, Virginia Miller Gallery, Coral Gables, FL
1992 Evento, APE Gallery, New York, NY
- Art of the Spirit, The Center for Transcultural Exchange, New York, NY
- Contemporary Realists, Bentley Tomlinson Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
1990 Monotypes from the SharokhRezvani Workshop, Nelson Fine Arts Center,
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
- Musical Instruments in Art, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale, AZ
1989 Tools, San Francisco Airports Commission Exhibition Program, San Francisco, CA (catalogue)
1988 Four Square Feet, SazamaBrauer Gallery, Chicago, IL
- Food in Art, Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, AZ
1987 The Current Landscape, Felicita Foundation for the Arts, Escondido, CA (catalogue)
- Point of View: Landscapes by Martha Armstrong, Jane Everhart and Christopher Pelley,
- SazamaBrauer Gallery, Chicago, IL
- Landscape in the Age of Anxiety, Lehman College Art Gallery, The City University of New York,
- The Bronx, NY and The Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH (catalogue)
- The Romantic Landscape, Monique Knowlton Gallery, New York, NY
- Southwest '85, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM (catalogue)
- New Masks for Modern Living - an Invitational, Phoenix Art Museum Phoenix, AZ
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
2003 Denver Westword, April 10, Michael Paglia, exhibition review
- Oakville Beaver, July 11, Craig MacBride, exhibition review, photo
2002 Philadelphia Inquirer, March 12, Edward Owen, exhibition review
- Amarillo Globe News, April 12, Alan J Heavens, exhibition review, photo
- The Arizona Republic, June 23, John Carlos Villani, exhibition review, photo
2000 Santa Fean, January, Jeanette Alt, article, photo
1999 N Y Arts, Vol 4, #12, Joyce Korotkin, article
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 21, Mary Thomas, exhibition review
- Cover, Vol 13, #2, Joyce Korotkin, exhibition review, photo
1998 M The New York Art World, December, Joyce Korotkin, article
- Omaha World-Herald, September 16, Kyle Macmillan, exhibition review, photo
1992 Arizona Republic, January 10, Richard Nilsen, exhibition review
- Scottsdale Daily Progress, November 23, Joe Young, exhibition review, photo
- Arizona Republic, December 1, Richard Nilsen, exhibition review, photo
- Los Angeles Times, February 27, Colin Gardner, exhibition review
- San Diego Union, October 8, Robert Pincus, exhibition review
- Los Angeles Times, October 16, Leah Ollman, exhibition review
- Art Week, January 25, Victoria Beaudin, exhibition review, photo
- Phoenix Gazette, January 15, David Eskes, article, photo
1985 Art in America, September, David Bell, exhibition review, photo
- Phoenix Home and Garden, September, Ellie Schultz, article, photo
- Scottsdale Daily Progress, September 13, installation review, photo
1984 Arizona Republic, September 12, Richard Nilsen, exhibition review
- New Times Weekly, September 19, Chuck Andresen, exhibition review, photo
1983 Arizona Arts and Travel, March/April Carol Kotrozo, exhibition review
- Artspace Magazine, Spring, Barbara Cortright, exhibition review, photo
RESIDENCIES:
2006 International Artist’s Residency, Budapest, Hungary
2007 Ucross Foundation, Clearmont, WY
- Red Gate Artist Residency, Beijing, China
SELECTED COLLECTIONS:
American Express Corporation, New York, NY
Arizona State University Art Collections, Tempe, AZ
Austin Museum of Art, Austin, TX
The Hechinger Collection, The National Building Museum, Washington, DC
Hungarian Multicultural Center, Budapest, Hungary
McDonalds Corporation, Oakbrook, IL
Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
Progressive Corporation, Cleveland, OH
Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA