Shani Rhys James was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1953 to a Welsh father and Australian mother. She arrived in UK in 1963 with her mother at the age of 10. She trained at Loughborough School of Art and St Martins School of Art.
She has lived in mid-Wales with her artist husband Stephen West since 1984.
Shani's numerous awards include; Aberystwyth Open in 1992, Mostyn Open, Gold Medal at the National Eisteddfod, Hunting Observer Art Prize (1993), BP National Portrait Award, BBC Wales Visual Artist of the Year 1994, and the prestigious Jerwood Painting Prize in 2003.
She has also been the recipient of a Creative Wales Award from the Arts Council of Wales in 2006 and in 2013.
Shani was made an M.B.E. in 2006 for services to Welsh Art and also received an Honorary Fellowship from Wrexham Glyndŵr University in 2017. Two monographs have been published on the artist: The Black Cot Gomer Press 2004 and Rivalry of Flowers Seren Press 2013.
She is represented in private collections worldwide, and can be found in prestigious collections including The National Museum of Wales (Cardiff), National Library of Wales (Aberystwyth), Gallery of Modern Art (Glasgow), Newport Museum and Art Gallery, Glynn Vivian Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham City Art Gallery, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Museum of Modern Art Wales, Machynlleth, Contemporary Art Society of Wales, Arts Council of England, Jerwood Foundation, Victoria Gallery Bath, Ruth Borchard Collection, Columbia University Teachers College, Usher Gallery (Lincoln), New Hall College, Murray Edwards College (Cambridge), London Borough of Tower Hamlets, BBC Wales and Eigse Carlow Ireland.
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Winter Exhibition / Arddangosfa Gaeaf
Celebrating the gallery's first anniversary / Dathlu pen-blwydd cyntaf yr oriel 23 Nov 2024 - 26 Jan 2025This is our first of what will become an annual Winter Exhibition at Celf Gallery. The constantly changing show highlights the work of our gallery artists, including; Philip Archer OBE,...Read more -
Summer Exhibition / Arddangosfa Haf
Mixed show by all our Artists / Sioe Gymysg gan ein holl Artistiaid 19 Jul - 18 Aug 2024Eleri Mills lives and works in rural Mid Wales, where she was born and raised. She has exhibited worldwide, and her work is in numerous national collections including the National...Read more -
Easter Exhibition / Arddangosfa Pasg
A mixed show of new work by our gallery artists 20 Mar - 7 Apr 2024Celf Gallery is pleased to announce what will become our annual Easter Show. The exhibition highlights work by our gallery artists, including; Shani Rhys James MBE, Kevin Sinnott, Mary Lloyd...Read more -
Opening Exhibition
A mixed exhibition by some of Wales' foremost artists 18 Nov - 23 Dec 2023Thrilled to be presenting our first exhibition at Celf Gallery.Read more
