Born Lurgan, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland


1961-65            Belfast College of Art,

1965-67            Brighton College of Art

1967-70            Teaching at Goldsmiths School of Art, London

1973-76            Teaching at Ravensbourne College of  Art, London

1977-80            Arts Council of Northern Ireland Printmaker in Residence Fellowship at Belfast Print Workshop

1980-2002        Director of Belfast Print Workshop

1977 -                Living and working in Belfast


SOLO EXHIBITIONS


2004                Wellspring Gallery, Tralee

2002                Cavehill Gallery, Belfast

1991                Kerlin Gallery, Belfast

1988                Kerlin Gallery, Belfast

1985                Tom Caldwell Gallery, Belfast

1976                Caldwell Gallery, Belfast

1975                Queen’s University Senior Common Room, Belfast

                        Upper Street Gallery, London

1973                Arts Council Gallery, Belfast

                        Burleighfield House Gallery, Loudwater, Bucks

1972                The Room Gallery, Greenwich, London


GROUP EXHIBITIONS


2006                ‘’Printmakers 2006’, gordon gallery, Derry

2005                ‘Four Now’, Gluksman Gallery, Cork, Ireland

                        ‘Across Boundaries’, Dept. Finance & Personnel / Office of Public Works touring exhibition, Ireland

                        Small Contemporary Works, Carnegie Centre, Larne, Co. Antrim

                        Inaugural Group Show, gordon gallery, Derry

2004                Royal Ulster Academy, Ulster Museum, Belfast

                        ‘Reference’, Exhibition, Cavanacor Gallery, Lifford, Co. Donegal

2003                ‘Impressions’, Office of Public Works Print Collection touring exhibition, various centres, Ireland

                        ‘Public Eye’, Fifty Years of Arts Council Collection

                        City Art Gallery, Edinburgh

                        ‘Small Works’, St. Patrick Centre, Downpatrick

                        ‘A Sense of Place’, Belfast Printmakers, Dyehouse Gallery, Waterford

2002                ‘Public Eye’, Fifty Years of Arts Council Collection

                        Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast

                        Boyle Arts Festival, Co. Roscommon

                        ‘The Infernal Method’, GMIT Campus, Galway

                        ‘The Holy Show’, Chester Beattie Gallery’ Touring Ireland, Sweden & USA

                        Royal Hibernian Academy Exhibition, Gallaher Gallery, Dublin

                        Royal Ulster Academy, Ulster Museum, Belfast

2001                Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition, Ashford Gallery, Dublin

                        Group Exhibition, Cavehill Gallery, Belfast

2000                Group Exhibition, Cavehill Gallery, Belfast

                        ‘Matisse’s Armchair’, Ballance House, Glenavy

                        ‘North & South’’, Lemon Street Gallery, Dublin

1999                Galerie Verin fur Original-Radierung, Munich, Germany

                        Gasteig Arts Centre, Munich, Germany

                        Newry & Mourne Arts Centre, Newry

1998                Gray’s Museum, Strabane, Co. Tyrone

                        Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart

1996                ‘Temple Bar International Print Exhibition’, Temple Bar Studios Gallery, Dublin

                        ‘Altered States’’, An Chomhairle Ealaion touring exhibition

1995                St. John’s Art Centre, Listowell, Co. Kerry

                        Northern Irish Printmakers, An Chomhairle Ealaion, Dublin

                        Department of Art, Culture & Gaeltacht, Dublin

                        Downpatrick Arts Centre, Downpatrick, Co. Down

1992-95            Various Group Exhibitions

1992                ‘Contemporary Graphic Art’, Fenderesky Gallery, Belfast

1991                Invited Artist, Banquet Exhibition, Royal Hibernian Academy Gallery, Dublin

                        ‘1/30’ Print Exhibition, Arts Council touring exhibition, Ireland

                        ‘Northern Ireland Printmaking’’, N.Y. University, Binghampton, New York

                        ‘Irish Landscape’, Narrow Water Castle Gallery, Warrenpoint

                        Northern Ireland Print Workshops Exhibition, Arts Council Gallery, Belfast

1987                Royal Ulster Academy (Conor Prize-Winner), Ulster Museum, Belfast

1986                ‘The Sea’, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

                        Various group shows

                        On The Wall gallery, Belfast

1985               ‘Ten Years On’, Thumb Gallery, London

1983                Two Person Show, Thumb gallery, London

1982                ‘Art and the Sea’, I.C.A. Gallery, London

1981                Invited Artist, 1st Triennale Europea Dell’incisione

                        Two Person Show, Key’s Gallery, Derry

                        ‘Summer reflections’, Thumb Gallery, London

1980                ‘The Corner of my Eye’, 4 Print-Poems by James Allen and Michael Longley, Ulster Museum, Belfast

                        Two Person Show, Queen’s University Senior Staff Common Room, Belfast

1979                Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Dublin

                        Prints at Orchard Gallery, Derry

                        Listowell Graphics, Listowell, Co. Kerry

1978                Prints at Air Gallery, London

                        Royal Ulster Academy, Belfast

                        ‘Realism Now’, An Chomhairle Ealaion Touring Exhibition

                        17 British printmakers, Alternative Centre for International Arts, New York

                        Listowell Graphics, Listowell, Co. Kerry

1977                5 Landscape Painters, Caldwell Gallery, Belfast

                        ‘Four Northern Ireland Printmakers’, Glasgow Print Workshop, Glasgow

                        ‘Oireachtas’, Exhibition, Dublin

                        8 Northern Ireland Artists, Third Eye Gallery, Glasgow’ Art in Ulster 1957-77’, Arts Council Gallery, Belfast

                        ‘Double Issue Exhibition’, Thumb Gallery, London

1976                Invited Artist, Biella International Print Biennale, Italy

                        ’30 Contemporary Printmakers’, Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol

1975                Prints at Sunderland Arts Centre

1974                Two Person Show, Upper Street Gallery, London

                        Barclay Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

                        New British Printmakers, Brooklyn Museum, New York

1973                Invited Artist, Biella International Print Biennale, Italy

                        Four Printmakers, DM Gallery, London

1972                Prints at Serpentine Gallery, London

                        Prints in ‘Fortresses to Follies’ show, Oxford gallery, Oxford

                        Prints at Warwick University, Warwick


COMMISSIONS


                        Etched copper mural for Dungannon Public Library

                        Northern Ireland Housing Executive

                        Narrow Water Castle Gallery, Warrenpoint

                        Various hotels

                        Hospitals by Artcare

                        ‘Altered Status’, An Chomhairle Ealaion, Dublin


COLLECTIONS


                        Arts Council of Great Britain

                        Armagh County Museum

                        Arts Council of Northern Ireland

                        An Chomhairle Ealaion, Dublin

                        Belfast education and Library Board

                        Government Art Collection

                        Intel, Dublin

                        Lloyds Bank

                        Northern Bank

                        National Self-Portrait Collection, Limerick University

                        Office of Public Works, Dublin

                        Queen’s University of Belfast

                        Telfair Museum, Savannah, Georgia, USA

                        Ulster Television

                        Ulster Museum

                        Various private collections


BIBLIOGRAPHY


                        Painting and Sculpture by Kenneth Jaimson in ‘’Causeway, the Arts in Ulster’ (Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Gill

                        and Macmillan, Dublin 1971)

                        ‘James Allen’, by Pat Gilmore in Arts Review, 1973

                        ‘Art in Ulster II’, by Mike Catto (Blackstaff Press 1977)

                        ‘Thinking Long’, by Liam Kelly (Publisher - Gandon Editions, Kinsale, 1996)

James Allen