Reuben Colley

British representational painter

Reuben Colley

Born| 1976 (age 48-49)
Nationality| British
Occupation| Artist
Website| www.reubencolleyfineart.co.uk

Reuben Colley (born 1976) is a British representational painter primarily recognised for his "gritty" city-scapes[1] and parkland scenes depicting his home town of Birmingham, England.[2][3] His work is included in the collection of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery[4] and private collections both nationally and internationally.

Reuben Colley Remnant Collection exhibited at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. 2017.

## Life

[edit]

Colley studied at Bournville Art College, Birmingham, and in 1995, he enrolled at The University of Wolverhampton, where he gained a BA Honours in Fine Art, specialising in painting.[5]

Through his work he has supported charitable causes including Freedom from Torture[6] and Birmingham Children's Hospital.[7]

After founding a commercial gallery (Reuben Colley Fine Arts) in the Moseley district of Birmingham in 2010, the gallery relocated to Birmingham's city centre on Colmore Row in 2015.[8]

Colley has said: "I don't paint a particular subject, I try to depict an atmosphere".[9] He's explained his process, saying:

> I am constantly exploring new areas of my own painting to see what creates an atmosphere or a mood for the viewer, to take them past the boundaries of being purely representational, and they become a record of my own experiences and impressions of places. [...] Painting, to me, should be a very natural process, without the restraints of gimmick and style, it is an infinite language of expression, only I find it much more comforting than using words.[10]

## Awards

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* 2002 Best Up and Coming Published Artist. Fine Art Trade Guild[11]
* 2007 Best Work on Paper - Birmingham Open. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery[12]
* 2012 Best Painting - West Midlands Open. Wolverhampton Art Gallery / Birmingham Museums[3]

## Exhibitions

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* 2001 Impressions of Birmingham, Halcyon Gallery, Birmingham[13]
* 2002 Streetlife. ICC, Birmingham
* 2002 Impressions of London, Harrods, London[14]
* 2003 Forward. ICC, Birmingham
* 2005 California. Bruton Street, London
* 2005 Venice. ICC, Birmingham
* 2007 Urban Landscapes. New Bond Street, London
* 2007 Birmingham Open. Gas Hall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery[12]
* 2008 Reuben Colley Exhibition. ICC, Birmingham
* 2008 The Art Of Birmingham 1940 to the Millennium. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
* 2009 Birmingham Seen. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery[15]
* 2010 City of Culture Exhibition in conjunction with Birmingham City Council. RCFA,[16] Birmingham
* 2011 Reuben Colley Exhibition. Hay Hill Gallery. Cork Street, Mayfair[17]
* 2012 My Birmingham. RCFA, Birmingham
* 2013 City Living. RCFA, Birmingham[18]
* 2015 Change In the Inner City, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery[19][20]
* 2016 City Living Collection II. RCFA, Birmingham[21]
* 2017 Remnant (Preview). Bridge Gallery, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery[22]
* 2017 Remnant. RCFA, Birmingham[23][24]
* 2018 Group Exhibition. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery[25]

## Acquisitions

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* 2002 Council House. Acquired by Birmingham City Council
* 2003 Brindley Light. Acquired by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery[4]
* 2006 Vitol Oil - London. Acquired by Vitol Group
* 2011 9:45 Church Street. Acquired by Brown Shipley Private Bank. Birmingham[26]
* 2011 Selfridges at Night, Birmingham. Acquired by Selfridges, Birmingham
* 2015 John Lewis Birmingham Portfolio. (A collection of five paintings). Acquired by The John Lewis Partnership, John Lewis, Grand Central, Birmingham
* 2018 Birmingham Law Courts. Acquired by The Birmingham Law Society.[27]

## References

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1. ^ Chamberlain, Zoe (21 February 2014). "Gritty side of Birmingham inspires painter". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
2. ^ "RCFA News pages". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
3. ^ a b "2012 Best Painting - West Midlands Open". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
4. ^ a b Artworks by or after Reuben Colley, Art UK. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
5. ^ "Hayhill gallery" (PDF). Retrieved 22 November 2017.
6. ^ "Birmingham Artists Supports Anti-torture charity". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
7. ^ "The Big Sleuth". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
8. ^ Young, Graham (5 March 2015). "Artist Reuben Colley opens new Colmore Row art gallery". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
9. ^ "Reuben Colley Interview". gregoryeditions.com. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
10. ^ "Reuben Colley". Hay Hill Gallery. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
11. ^ "The Fine Art Trade Guild's Best New Artist 2001". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
12. ^ a b "Birmingham Open exhibition". BBC website. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
13. ^ Kennedy, Liam (15 April 2013). Remaking Birmingham. ISBN 9781134442577. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
14. ^ "Impressions of London". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
15. ^ "Birmingham Seen exhibition". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
16. ^ "Reuben Colley Fine Arts Gallery".
17. ^ "The Cork Street Collection". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
18. ^ "City Living exhibition". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
19. ^ "Reuben Colley included in Change In the Inner City exhibition". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
20. ^ "Change In the Inner City exhibition". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
21. ^ "City Living Collection II". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
22. ^ "Remnant Collection at Birmingham Museum and Art". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
23. ^ "Remnant collection". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
24. ^ "Remnant exhibition". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
25. ^ "Reuben Colley Fine Art exhibition". Retrieved 7 November 2018.
26. ^ "Brown Shipley press release". Retrieved 22 November 2017.
27. ^ "Law society commissions painting". Retrieved 12 August 2018.

## External links

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* Official website
* Birmingham Living Magazine feature (2013)

*[RCFA]: Reuben Colley Fine Arts