Lee Kelly

Lee Kelly (May 24, 1932 – March 28, 2022) was an American sculptor who has more than 30 sculptures on display between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. Kelly has been called "Oregon's sculptor". His family moved to Portland in 1945 and he attended Roosevelt High School. From 1949 to 1951, he attended Vanport Extension Center, which is now Portland State University. From 1951 to 1955, he was in the United States Air Force Reserves at Portland Air Force Base, including service on active duty. He married Jeanette Bernhardt.

Lee Kelly died at his home in Clackamas County on March 28, 2022.

Professional Work As one of the most revered artists in the Pacific Northwest, Lee Kelly is best known for his monumental public sculptures throughout Oregon and the surrounding region. In 1959, after Kelly graduated from the Museum Art School at the Portland Art Museum (now known as the Pacific Northwest College of Art, PNCA), he began a long, prestigious career resulting in a significant body of work. His work can be found in public and private collections throughout the country, including the Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR), Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA), New Orleans Art Museum (New Orleans, LA), Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, WA) and the City of Sapporo, Japan. As one of the most recognized artists in the Northwest, Kelly's modernist sculptures are a central focus at regional institutions such as Reed College, Oregon State University, Catlin Gabel School, the Oregon Health and Sciences University and the Washington Park Rose Garden. In 2012, one of his most significant works, Memory 99, was installed in Portland's North Park blocks, at the new home of PNCA. Kelly's work has been represented at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery since the early 1980s, some of which can be seen in their gallery in Portland. In 2010, Kelly was the subject of a major career retrospective at the Portland Art Museum.

Select Awards Oregon Arts Commission's Individual Artist Fellowship, 1985. Oregon Governor's Arts Award, 1987. Washington State Arts Commission's Artist Trust Grant. Lifetime Achievement Award from the Portland Art Museum, 2010. Architecture Foundation of Oregon Honored Citizen Award, 2016.