Chris Orr was born in London in 1943. He studied at the Royal College of Art from 1964 - 1967, he was elected a Royal Academician in 1995, and was also made a Professor of Printmaking at the Royal College of Art from 1998 - 2008. Chris Orr was awarded an MBE and made Professor Emeritus in 2008 and was elected as Treasurer of the Royal Academy, serving from 2014 to 2018.
Chris Orr has exhibited with Jill George Gallery, formerly Thumb Gallery, since 1978 with regular solo exhibitions. His work is represented in many prestigious collections both public and private.
1943 Born London
1959-1963 Ravensbourne College of Art
1963-1964 Hornsey College of Art
1964-1967 Royal College of Art
Appointments
Member of the Faculty of the British School at Rome
Fellow of the Royal College of Art
Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers
Fellow of the Royal Society of Etchers
1995 Elected Royal Academician, Royal Academy of Art
1998 Professor of Printmaking, Royal College of Art
2008 Senior Professorship, Royal College of Art
Professor Emeritus, Royal Collage of Art
Awarded MBE, in Queen's Birthday Honours
2014-2018 Treasurer of Royal Academy
Selected solo exhibitions
1973 Galleria Grafica, Tokyo
1974 Bradford Print Biennale, Ilkley Manor, Bradford
1975 Gallery 39, Manchester
1976 Serpentine Gallery, London
Galerie Mazarine, Paris
'The Complete Chris Orr', Whitechapel, MOMA and Ikon Galleries
1977 Patrick Seale Gallery, London
Asard Gallery, Stockholm
1978 Thumb Gallery, London
1979 Jerusalem Print Workshop
Editions Alecto, London
1980 Thumb Gallery, London
Galleria Grafica, Tokyo
1981 Print Selection, London
1983 Thumb Gallery, London
Jay Street Gallery, New York
1984 Artspace, Aberdeen
1985-1987 Wapping Studio Shows, London
1987 'New Microcosm of London', Thumb Gallery, London
Anderson O'Day, London
1988 'The Swineherd Philosopher', Thumb Gallery, London
1990-1992 'Many Mansions', Touring Exhibition Nationwide and USA
1993 Printworks, Colchester
West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Ireland
The Playhouse Gallery, Salisbury
1994 Bankside Gallery, London (with Norman Ackroyd)
St George's Hall, Bristol
'The Small Titanic and Other Works', Jill George Gallery, London
1996 'Secret Lives of the Great Composers,' Jill George Gallery, London
1999 'Happy Days', Jill George Gallery, London
Royal Academy, Friends Room, London
Claude Andre Gallery, Belgium
2001 'Semi-Antics', Jill George Gallery, London
2003 'The Disguise Factory', Jill George Gallery, London
2005 'Shark Fin City and other Places', Jill George Gallery, London
2007 'Cities of Holy Dreams', Jill George Gallery, London
2008 'The Multitude Diaries', Jill George Gallery, London
2009 'William Blake', Print Room, Tate Britain, London
Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, London
2010 'London and New York: Work and Play', Jill George Gallery, London
2016 'Vision of London', Jill George Gallery, London
2017/18 'Miserable Lives of Fabulous Artists', Keepers House, Royal Academy, London
Selected group exhibitions
1971 Art Spectrum, London
1972 Bradford Print Biennale (prizewinner)
1973 Sao Paulo Biennale (work confiscated by police)
1974 'Contemporary British Prints', Brooklyn Museum, New York
1975 'Body and Soul', Peter Moore's Liverpool Project 3
1981 'Beauty and Other Works', Arts Council Touring Show
1984 Norwegian International Print Biennale
1985 'Printmakers at the RCA', Barbican, London
1986 'Human Zoo', Nottingham
1987 Athena Art Awards
1987-08 Royal Academy Summer Show
'RCA 150 Years', Barbican, London
1988 '3 Artists from the RCA', Studio 18, Jersey
1990 Alaistair Grant and Friends, Royal College of Art, London
1991 Department of Transport Show, Mall Galleries, London (prizewinner)
Royal National Theatre, London (Thumb Gallery)
1992 Hull Print Show
Maastricht Print Biennale, Holland
British Art Comes to St Helena, St Helena
1993 Art 93, London (Jill George Gallery)
Bradford Print Show, Bradford
'A Show of Proofs', Canadian Art Gallery, Calgary, Canada
1994 National Print Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
1995 'The Drawing Show III', Jill George Gallery, London
1997 Contemporary Print Fair, Barbican, London (Jill George Gallery)
1999 'The Figure Show', Jill George Gallery, London
2000 '2K, 2K', Jill George Gallery, London
Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Art, London
2001 Art 2001, Islington, London (Jill George Gallery)
'The Figure Show, Jill George Gallery, London
20/21 British Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London (Jill George Gallery)
2002 'The Monoprint Exhibition', Jill George Gallery, London
20/21 British Art Fair, Commonwealth Institute, London (Jill George Gallery)
2003 'The Figure Show', Jill George Gallery, London
2004 London Art Fair, Art 2004 (Jill George Gallery)
'The Figure Show', Jill George Gallery
Art London, Burton's Court, Chelsea (Jill George Gallery)
20/21 British Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London (Jill George Gallery)
'Chris Orr's John Ruskin and other stories', Ruskin Library, Cumbria
2005 London Art Fair, Art 2005 (Jill George Gallery)
Art London, Burton's Court, Chelsea (Jill George Gallery)
Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Art, London
Red Mansions - Royal Academicians in China', Beijing and travelling
'The Monoprint Show', Jill George Gallery, London
20/21 British Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London (Jill George Gallery)
2006-2010 London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, (Jill George Gallery)
2006 Glasgow Art Fair, Glasgow (Jill George Gallery)
2006-2013 20/21 British Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London (Jill George Gallery)
2006-2013 'Summer Show', Royal Academy, London
2007-2010 'The Figure Show', Jill George Gallery, London
2010 Art Chicago, Chicago, US (Jill George Gallery)
2010-2015 Art Toronto, Toronto, Canada, (Jill George Gallery)
2014-2021 'Summer Show, Royal Academy, London
2017-2020 London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, London (Jill George Gallery)
2019 'Winter Wonders', Johnson Collection of Drawings, Jill George Gallery,
2021 The Summer Show, Jill George Gallery, London
The Winter Show, Jill George Gallery, London
2022 London Art Fair, ART2022. Business Design Centre, London (Jill George Gallery
'Satires of a Time', Royal Academy of Art, London
and travelling