The life of expatriate artist Felix Kelly is as intriguing as his work. Born in Epsom, Auckland he attended Kings College but left New Zealand aged twenty one years for the bright lights of London. Befriended and patronised by many leading society figures of the day, Kelly exhibited alongside Lucien Freud, Julian Trevelyan and on one occasion Frances Hodgkins. A life of glamour and creativity ensued. Kelly painted the famous Garden Room Murals at Castle Howard, where the ITV series Brideshead Revisited was filmed, designed theatre sets for Sir John Gielgud and Dame Sybil Thorndike and illustrated magazines such as Harper's Bazaar. Kelly's distinctive work is held in British and American collections, Te Papa and Hawke's Bay Museum, and Art Gallery.

A major retrospective was held in 2010 at Hawke's Bay Museum and Art Gallery curated by Douglas Lloyd Jenkins. The exhibition toured and was later shown at Auckland's Gus Fisher Gallery.