Joel Rea

Joel Rea
Born (1983-01-27) 27 January 1983 (age 41)
Teesside, Middlesbrough, England
NationalityAustralian
Alma materGriffith University
OccupationArtist
Websitejoelrea.com.au

Joel Rea (born 27 January 1983) is an Australian artist known for his surreal, photorealistic oil on canvas works.

Highly acclaimed and multi award-winning,[1] Rea’s allegorical paintings stand somewhere between genres of hyperrealism, photorealism and virtuosic Renaissance realism. He has exhibited his paintings in galleries and public spaces since 2004[2] and is held in numerous public and private collections worldwide. Collectors of Rea's artworks include UFC commentator & comedian Joe Rogan,[3] fashion editor & writer Tim Blanks, Author Chris Salgardo. Rea has been profiled by such art publications as Juxtapoz, VICE Arts,[4] Beautiful Bizarre, WideWalls, Art Business News & Huffington Post Arts.

Early life and education

Rea was born in Teesside, Middlesbrough, England, in 1983.[5] He moved to Australia with his family at the age of two.[6] He is a distant relative of Chris Rea.[5]

Rea received his early education from Palm Beach Currumbin State High School.[6][7] He graduated from the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts.[8][2]

Career

In 2006, Rea's debut solo painting exhibition, "High Fidelity", was entirely purchased by an art collector prior to its public unveiling.[5] The following year, his piece "Killing Me Softly" fetched an unprecedented AU$30,000, marking a personal record for a single artwork sale.[5]

Rea's artistic accolades continued in 2011 when his piece, "Moment of Truth", was shortlisted for the prestigious Metro Art Award.[8][9][10] In 2013, American magazine Art Business News selected Joel Rea as one of 30 artists under the age of 30 who are revolutionizing the world of fine arts.[11] In 2019, renowned American comedian Joe Rogan acquired a Rea painting, further cementing the artist's prominent standing in the art world.[3]

Exhibitions

Rea's work has been exhibited in galleries and public spaces such as Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York City,[4][12] HOFA Gallery in Los Angeles,[13] Gold Coast City Art Gallery in Gold Coast, Australia.[5]

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Joel Rea". Contemporary Art Curator Magazine. 15 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b Binney, Sarah (24 September 2015). "QCA graduate Joel Rea opens solo exhibition in New York".
  3. ^ a b "Joe Rogan of UFC gives Gold Coast artist Joel Rea LA base tour". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney).
  4. ^ a b "The Surreal Scenes in These Paintings are Darker Than Seem". Vice News. 7 July 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e Robson, Dave (May 16, 2012). "Teesside-born artist Joel Rea tells of mima dream". TeessideLive.
  6. ^ a b Baker, Tim. "Tiger Style". The Surfer's Journal.
  7. ^ "Portrait puts 'confident but introspective' Fanning out on a ledge for Archibald Prize". Gold Coast Bulletin.
  8. ^ a b "Gold Coast artist in running for Australia's richest arts prize". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  9. ^ "Da Vinci and a twist of new century". The Courier-Mail.
  10. ^ "Local artist carves wave of success". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney).
  11. ^ "Art Business News Summer 2013 Edition" (PDF).
  12. ^ "Hyperrealism Thrives at Jonathan LeVine Gallery". Vice News. 15 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Gold Coast artists".
  14. ^ a b c "Joel Rea".
  15. ^ "2011 on the Gold Coast". ABC (Australia).
  16. ^ "Archibald Prize Sulman 2014 work: The final pieces by Joel Rea".
  17. ^ "Young artists now in the mix to win Brisbane Portrait Prize".