# Felix Kelly artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/felix-kelly/
Profile generated: 2026-05-31T12:45:26.189Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 1994-01-01
- Nationality: New Zealand, British
- Common media: oil painting, watercolor, graphic design, illustration, stage design

## About Felix Kelly

Felix Runcie Kelly (1916–1994) was a New Zealand-born painter, graphic designer, illustrator, and stage designer who spent most of his career in the United Kingdom. Born in Auckland, Kelly relocated to Britain where he built a versatile practice spanning fine-art painting, magazine and book illustration, theatrical set design, and interior decoration. He occasionally signed his illustration and cartoon work with the moniker "Fix." Kelly is represented in the Tate collection, and his work is documented in the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Getty Union List of Artist Names, and Bénézit's critical dictionary of artists. His cross-disciplinary output connects mid-twentieth-century British painting with commercial illustration and the decorative arts.

## Common works and media

Collectors may encounter Kelly's work as oil paintings on canvas, watercolor or gouache works on paper, book and magazine illustrations, stage and set design renderings, and interior design commissions. He also produced graphic design work for publications. His painting subjects often include architectural and interior scenes. Works may be signed "Felix Kelly" or "Fix" depending on the discipline and period.

## Market and appraisal context

Felix Kelly's work appears at auction primarily under Modern British Art and Works on Paper categories. Because Kelly practiced across painting, illustration, stage design, and interior decoration, the range of material that surfaces is broad, from finished oils to preparatory drawings and design commissions. Key factors for appraisal include the medium, the subject (gallery paintings vs. commercial illustration), provenance, and condition. Works signed "Fix" relate to his illustration output and may carry different market positioning. Collectors should note that no single catalogue raisonné was identified in public sources, so specialist verification is recommended for attribution questions.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from the Tate, RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Getty ULAN, VIAF, and Wikidata with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/felix-kelly-1392
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/43816
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500001878
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/6179462/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5442246
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Kelly
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50048143