Queer Places:
Eton College, Windsor SL4 6DW, United Kingdom
University of Cambridge, 4 Mill Ln, Cambridge CB2 1RZ
117 Gloucester Pl, London W1U 6JU, UK
St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD, United Kingdom

Sir Gerald Festus Kelly KCVO PRA (April 9, 1879 – January 5, 1972) was a prominent British portrait painter, academician, and President of the Royal Academy.

Born in London to the Reverend Frederic Festus Kelly and educated at Eton College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he later moved to Paris to study art, drawing significant inspiration from James McNeill Whistler. Throughout his early career, Kelly traveled extensively across Spain, the Americas, South Africa, and Burma, where his encounters with local cultures led to an acclaimed series depicting Burmese dancers.

Kelly maintained a strong connection with notable literary and cultural figures of the early 20th century. A lifelong friend of W. Somerset Maugham, Kelly painted the author 18 times, while Maugham immortalized Kelly across several literary works, dedicating Ashenden to him and basing characters like Lionel Hillier in Cakes and Ale and Frederick Lawson in Of Human Bondage on the artist. In 1913, the duo famously stayed together in Capri alongside expatriate friends such as John Ellingham Brooks and E.F. Benson during an all male summer getaway that was interrupted by Syrie Wellcome. Kelly’s family history also intersected with countercultural history, as his sister, Rose Edith Kelly, was briefly married to the occultist Aleister Crowley.

In 1920, Kelly married Lilian Ryan, who became his primary muse and the subject of a celebrated lifelong portrait series titled Jane. Beyond his individual portraiture, which included sitters like T. S. Eliot and Ralph Vaughan Williams, Kelly achieved major commercial success with his 20 portraits of the Shan princess Sao Ohn Nyunt, which sold over 50,000 poster reproductions. He was eventually knighted in 1945, served as court painter to the British Royal Family, and led the Royal Academy as its president from 1949 to 1954.

Sir Gerald Kelly died in Exmouth in 1972 at the age of 92. Rather than a traditional grave, he is commemorated in the Crypt of St Paul's Cathedral in London. A dedicated marble memorial panel displaying his profile—carved by sculptor David McFall RA—was installed in 1973 in the Past Presidents of the Royal Academy corner inside the St Paul's Cathedral Crypt. Additionally, his former long-term residence at 117 Gloucester Place in Marylebone, London, features an official English Heritage blue plaque.

References:

Capri: Island of Pleasure Hardcover – January 1, 1987 by James Money

Other references:

• Hudson, Derek. For Love of Painting: The Life of Sir Gerald Kelly, KCVO, PRA. London: Peter Davies, 1975.
• Maugham, W. Somerset. Introduction to the Catalogue of an Exhibition of Works by Sir Gerald Kelly, PRA. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1950.
• Postle, Martin, and William Vaughan. The Artist's Model: From Etty to Spencer. London: Merrell Holberton, 1999.
• Royal Academy of Arts. An Exhibition of Works by Sir Gerald Kelly, KCVO, PRA. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1957.
• Calder, Robert. Willie: The Life of W. Somerset Maugham. London: Heinemann, 1989.
• Hastings, Selina. The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham. London: John Murray, 2009.
• Rintoul, M. C. Dictionary of Real People and Places in Fiction. London: Routledge, 1993.
• Venn, John, and J. A. Venn. Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Royal Academy of Arts Archives (London): Presidential papers, official correspondence, and records relating to his presidency (1949–1954) and time as Keeper (1943–1945).
• Tate Gallery Collections & Archives (London): Artist files, institutional correspondence, and permanent collection records holding seven works by Kelly.
• National Portrait Gallery (London): Holdings of Kelly's portraits of prominent 20th-century sitters and photographic portraits of the artist.
• English Heritage Blue Plaque Register: Site record for 117 Gloucester Place, Marylebone, London.

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