Geoffrey Key

His academic awards include the Heywood Medal in Fine Art and the Guthrie Bond Travelling Scholarship.

[2] Key's early work included an important period of development during which he concentrated on painting and drawing a specific area of the Derbyshire landscape, the Whiteley Nab hill, south of Glossop.

Key later revealed that the purpose of this dedicated period of study was to build upon the firm foundation established by his academic training, whilst divesting himself of the influences he had absorbed in order to arrive at his own personal artistic language.

[2]: 38  Of the Manchester Academy Exhibition in 1979, Jane Clifford, writing in The Daily Telegraph commented "Perhaps the artist that stands out most is Geoffrey Key" "His female forms show a self-confidence which is compelling".

[2]: 22 In the early 1990s Key visited Hong Kong to exhibit his work in a gallery at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

An earlier predominance of muted tones was replaced with a fuller and more vibrant palette, which has remained an enduring aspect of his art.

[12] In 2011 Key was filmed for a documentary about his work and life by Andy Pacino, a filmmaker and author from Manchester.

[3] During 2022 Cheshire Art Gallery held a large retrospective exhibition, featuring 63 important works, with pieces from each decade from 1959 till the present day.

[14] In 2023 Geoffrey Key's recent successful GOTH exhibition & book launch at Cheshire Art Gallery was the only the second time a complete series of his paintings has even been shown.