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382:, but later asked her to return them, because he worried that her successor as director of Abbott Hall Art Gallery would not appreciate his work. Convinced of his own greatness, Kelly wrote that someday his cottage, which had become cluttered with paintings, would become like a shrine that would "upstage
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Kelly became known for refusing to sell his artwork except to individuals he truly liked. While he was alive, he held only five exhibitions, with most of his artwork marked NFS for "not for sale". He lived in poverty but remained intransigent, even as art dealers and collectors visited him to try to
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A cross-dresser who changed his name to
Roberta for a period late in life, Kelly's exploration of his feminine identity was reflected in his artwork. Whereas his early work as Percy or Bob focused on machinery and industrial landscapes, while painting as Roberta, Kelly explored more "feminine"
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buy his drawings and his friends tried to help him make a living from his work. He hid many of his paintings away, reportedly so that neither his ex-wife nor the benefits agency would find out the true value of his collection. In 1983, Kelly gave some of his charcoal drawings to
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In
January 1983, Kelly received a letter from art collector Joan David, complimenting his watercolours and inquiring if any were for sale. He wrote back in a watercolour-painted envelope, starting a ten-year correspondence during which he sent her more than 1,000 letters.
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Kelly began drawing as a child, encouraged by his mother. In 1932, at the age of fourteen, he was awarded the top prize in a national handwriting competition organised by Royal Mail. His school teachers had advised his father he should attend
494:"Reviewed Work(s): Dear Mary, Love Percy. A Creative Thread. The Illustrated Letters of Percy Kelly to Mary Burkett, 1968-1993 by David Cross; The man who couldn't stop drawing. The extraordinary life of Percy Kelly by Chris Wadsworth"
223:. He is known for his drawings and paintings depicting industrial coastal landscapes in decay, which he hoarded during his lifetime. Of his own drawings, he wrote: "They are so important to me I could never sell them".
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in London. That same year, he showed his work to Bill
Hamilton, chief designer at West Cumberland Silk Mills, and offered to paint for the company. Impressed, entrepreneur Miki Sekers, later known as Sir
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Kelly married Audrey James in 1942 and their son Brian was born in 1947; they later divorced in 1971. He married
Christine Griffith in 1972 and lived with her at Levens Park Cottage in
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Posthumous exhibitions of Percy Kelly's artwork have proven popular with Kelly collectors internationally. In 2000, an exhibition featuring 64 of his works at
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where they became friends with Mary
Burkett, director of Abbott Hall Art Gallery. After living for a time in Wales, they eventually moved to rural
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and Martha, from
Scotland; they shared a home with Martha's father Hugh. He attended Workington's Central Secondary School and worked for the
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During the Second World War, while working with the Royal
Signals, Kelly's artistic skills were noticed by the head of art at
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Although he did not attend art school until he was in his forties, Kelly gained recognition alongside other artists such as
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Dear Mary, Love Percy: A Creative Thread - The
Illustrated Letters of Percy Kelly to Mary Burkett 1968-1993
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647:"Portraits of the artist as a closet transvestite - a look into the tortured world of Percy Kelly"
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sold off most of the items within days of opening. Some of his works have been on display in the
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from 1939 to 1946. He worked for the Post Office again after the war, becoming sub-postmaster at
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354:. In 1966, Sekers hosted the first public exhibition of Kelly's work at Rosehill Theatre in
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himself. Kelly's early works were part of an exhibition of artwork by servicemen in
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in 1918. He was a twin, and one of seven children of Oscar, a carpenter from the
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From 1961 to 1965, Kelly studied etching, lithography, and printed textiles at
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The Man Who Couldn't Stop
Drawing: The Extraordinary Life of Percy Kelly
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358:. Sekers subsequently put on two more exhibitions at his show rooms at
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as a telegraph messenger boy from 1932 to 1939 before serving in the
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and art college, but the family's finances did not allow this.
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342:, commissioned Kelly to paint watercolours of the mills'
215:) was an English artist, footballer, postal worker, and
611:"Artist Percy Kelly remembered with post office plaque"
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in 1985, but changed it back again after seven years.
333:. In 1963, his watercolours went on display at the
251:from 1952 to 1958 which is now commemorated with a
409:He changed his name to Roberta Penelope Kelly by
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374:themes, including flowers and self-portraits.
757:Burkett, Mary, and Rickerby, Valerie (1997).
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703:"Kelly enthusiast arouses police suspicion!"
540:"Percy Kelly, the painter of hidden talent"
255:. In the mid-1950s, he played football for
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16:British artist and footballer (1918–1993)
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211:(1918–1993, known from 1985 to 1992 as
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795:Lambirth, Andrew (24 November 2012),
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937:Deaths from throat cancer in England
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538:Morrison, Blake (24 February 2012),
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645:Herbert, Ian (10 September 2004).
331:Carlisle College of Art and Design
83:Roberta Penelope Kelly (1985–1992)
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947:20th-century English LGBTQ people
942:20th-century English male artists
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416:Kelly died from throat cancer in
917:English transgender sportspeople
849:Artworks by or after Percy Kelly
675:"Kelly, Robert Percy, 1918–1994"
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962:Royal Corps of Signals soldiers
957:Military personnel from Cumbria
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733:www.maryportmaritimemuseum.com
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882:Male-to-female cross-dressers
764:Cross, David A., ed. (2011).
759:Percy Kelly: Cumbrian Artist.
492:Tuohy, Thomas (Autumn 2013).
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62:1993 (aged 74–75)
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922:English transgender artists
346:, as well as landscapes of
295:, and were accepted by the
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972:British LGBTQ male artists
735:. Maryport Maritime Museum
932:English men's footballers
912:English LGBTQ footballers
897:Workington A.F.C. players
825:Wadsworth, Chris (2013),
807:Wadsworth, Chris (2011),
782:Lakeland Book of the Year
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907:Transgender male artists
442:Maryport Maritime Museum
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402:, and divorced in 1983.
318:, and was known to King
977:British LGBTQ sportsmen
927:English transgender men
827:"Percy Kelly - History"
707:The Westmorland Gazette
583:"Percy Kelly - History"
498:The British Art Journal
263:. In 1958, he moved to
952:People from Workington
790:Abbot Hall Art Gallery
446:Abbot Hall Art Gallery
299:and other exhibits in
245:Royal Corps of Signals
213:Roberta Penelope Kelly
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902:Transgender sportsmen
360:Sloane Street, London
297:Royal Academy of Arts
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137: 1972;
112: 1942;
892:British postmasters
844:Percy Kelly website
797:"Lonely Lakelander"
241:General Post Office
231:Kelly was born in
209:Robert Percy Kelly
206:
204:Kelly in his prime
124:Christine Griffith
784:2012; letters to
768:. Skiddaw Press.
324:Princess Margaret
289:Winston Churchill
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780:Joint winner of
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709:. 10 August 2000
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430:Castlegate House
362:in 1968, and at
335:National Gallery
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74:Other names
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752:Further reading
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340:Nicholas Sekers
322:and admired by
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171:Nicholas Sekers
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504:(2): 88–90.
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380:Mary Burkett
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261:Bill Shankly
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99:Audrey James
44:Robert Kelly
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877:1993 deaths
872:1918 births
831:Percy Kelly
434:Cockermouth
432:Gallery in
368:King's Lynn
364:Lady Fermoy
316:Sheila Fell
312:L. S. Lowry
237:Isle of Man
188:.percykelly
25:Percy Kelly
866:Categories
811:, Studio,
456:References
386:'s home".
348:Whitehaven
271:Art career
257:Workington
233:Workington
227:Early life
221:Cumberland
51:Workington
679:artuk.org
420:in 1993.
411:deed poll
370:in 1969.
320:George VI
305:Edinburgh
165:Patron(s)
80:Bob Kelly
68:, England
53:, England
684:30 March
656:30 March
592:30 March
510:43492099
152:Children
739:6 April
713:5 April
549:7 April
418:Norwich
400:Norfolk
356:Moresby
301:Glasgow
265:Allonby
181:Website
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91:Spouses
66:Norfolk
853:Art UK
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450:Kendal
424:Legacy
396:Kendal
352:Parton
293:London
259:under
253:plaque
855:site
506:JSTOR
219:from
133:(
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108:(
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813:ISBN
770:ISBN
741:2023
715:2023
686:2023
658:2023
594:2023
551:2023
444:and
350:and
314:and
307:.
303:and
169:Sir
139:div.
114:div.
59:Died
47:1918
40:Born
448:in
192:.uk
190:.co
186:www
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