Biography

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In 1973, Keep the River Clear, a small mural depicting the Hudson River sailboat “Clearwater” took first prize at the “Save the Hudson” benefit gala. Out of hundreds of entries from artists of all ages, a then 6-year-old Bret Reilly claimed that honor. Thirty years later, that little boy matured into a true, modern-day renaissance man—achieving success in visual arts, music and writing.

After graduating from Skidmore College in 1989 with a degree in studio art, Bret moved to NYC where he apprenticed for famed sculptor Bryan Hunt. During his years in New York, Bret also pursued music. He performed more than 200 concerts in NYC clubs and has written and recorded more than 300 songs. Three of his songs appear in the Farrelly Brother’s hit motion pictures: Dumb and Dumber;
Me, Myself and Irene; and There’s Something about Mary. Reilly also wrote, produced and starred in a feature film inspired by his life as an artist, My Big One. In 2001, Bret moved to Los Angeles and his second screenplay, Spring Chicken Break, was optioned by Paramount.

After meeting his wife in LA, Reilly moved back to New York in 2003 to pursue sculpture full-time. Bather was shown at the Tang Museum in Saratoga Springs in May 2004 and since then, Bret has had five solo shows in New York and a solo exhibition in Paris, France. In addition, in August 2006,
his work was recently featured on the hit TV series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Reilly donated pieces to two charity auctions last fall—one at Poltrona Frau and the other at Louis Meisel Gallery (in conjunction with Marie Claire Magazine)—and is scheduled for a solo exhibition in Chelsea followed by a solo show at Eisenhauer Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard in the summer of 2007.