Born in Wales in 1956, James Rielly attended Gloucester College of Art and Design (1975-78) and Belfast College of Art (1980-81). In 2006 he was appointed Professor of Painting at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France.

In his first solo exhibition in Dublin, Rielly exhibits paintings and watercolours that explore ideas about the uncanny, spirituality, humour, sexuality and how we imagine and use images. His work is included in important public and private collections around the world including Arts Council of England; Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, France; Frissiras Collection, Athens, Greece; Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France; Saatchi Collection, London, England; Sintra Museo de Arte Moderna, Portugal; Tate Gallery, London, England; Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art; La Collection du FRAC d’Auvergne, France; National Museum of Wales; CASA Salamanca, Spain; Würth Collection, Spain; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France