Home Elements Exhibitions International About Us Contact Reviews Films News
Home Elements Exhibitions International
About Us Contact Reviews Films News
A Unique Gallery specialising in Modern British Ceramics, Sculpture and Paintings
An inspiring art gallery in the heart of North Yorkshire exhibiting eye-catching contemporary sculpture and exquisite ceramics from some of the UK's finest artists and makers. One of our main objectives is to make sculpture and ceramics far more accessible. We, therefore, practice a hands on approach to the works we have on display encouraging visitor interaction whilst discussing the processes used in their creation.
From the outset, Kate & Nick Bentley strived to bring work of the highest quality to the original Nunnington Studios gallery. From September 2016, having relocated to Kirkbymoorside, the couple continue to improve the offering with world class sculptors, internationally renowned painters and one of the finest display of modern British ceramics available in Great Britain.
Despite being filled with art, there's no pretensions here, everyone has a valid opinion!
Founders and owners of Bils & Rye Kate and Nick Bentley live for art. It is their passion, along with two daughters and characterful dog.
Kate spent 10 years working as an artist, her work covered figurative through to seascapes and much in between; her last body of work was a series showing the diversity of Highland Cattle! Kate was once brave enough to take on the mantle of home educating our daughters for 18 months until they found a school they fell in love with, and now splits her time between helping to run the gallery and using her artistry in the restoration of antique pianos. She has a love of dogs, horses, chocolate and entertaining (not necessarily in that order), and of course art!
Nick spent many years in a variety of careers including air traffic control, building, event management, catering and sales. Never has he been happier than running the gallery. He has no formal art training, preferring to believe in aesthetics and finish rather than theory – he also takes a pretty fantastic photo! Outside of art and ceramics in particular, Nick loves motor racing, cricket, reading and eating out! Wine is also quite important.
Layla Khoo – Gallery Manager
Layla is the newest member of the Bils & Rye team and has quickly become part of the family. Layla fell in love with the gallery, it's contents and it's ethos immediately, so much so that she relocated to Kirkbymoorside! Having recently graduated as a mature student, Layla divides her time between the gallery, studying for an MA in ceramics, her own studio practice and running around after her two children.
Our aim is to provide an experience with an unpretentious, relaxed approach. Somewhere that questions can be asked and there's no need to know everything (or indeed anything) about art. Through conversation and careful curation, we hope to improve on and impart our growing knowledge of modern ceramics, sculpture and painting in a friendly and informal way – it usually involves a cup of tea, and invariably heads off at a tangent.
We look for art works that have a beauty in their aesthetic, are well executed, and finished to the highest standard. We look for artists who will develop their skills and create a coherent and evolving body of work. Most importantly, we look for pieces which we love, created by artists with real passion for their work.
We selected Kirkbymoorside ('the gateway' to the North York Moors) as the next home for Bils & Rye after an extensive search for a suitable building. Typically, we had walked past the old White Horse Hotel in Kirkby, as it's know as locally, hundreds of times but never considered it due to the outward appearance of the building. Despite being a Georgian building of some standing, 6 years of laying idle and many years of underinvestment left if looking a little worse for wear. In early 2016 a new landlord took ownership and begun a program of renovations. We then helped this along the way by securing a lease for the entire ground floor, a little over 120 square metres. The renovations concluded in the summer of 2017, and have transformed external appearance much to the delight of the local residents, our landlord and of course the Bils & Rye team. The local support as we prepared the building was immense and our eternal thanks goes to, in no particular order, David Wood, Mike Pilley, Jess Shaw, George Gold, Aidan and Sarah Delacey-Simms and the countless friends who helped with our precious girls whilst we worked all hours! Without these and many more we would have never managed our ambitious 5 week renovation and opening deadline. We now have three beautifully curated, well lit rooms, displaying our finest collection yet of sculpture, ceramics and paintings to date.
Transport and Parking
Kirkbymoorside has a regular bus service – details of which can be found here on Kirkbymoorside's very own town blog: Kirkbymoorside Blog
Here: Bus Timetables
And here: Bus Timetable
The town offers ample parking, with free parking spaces on the cobbled market area in the centre of town – please note that there is a 2hr time limit for this and it is enforced by parking wardens! Additionally, there is a large pay and display car park located near the top of the high street behind the Library. Please click here to be taken to our map page.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
10:00 to 17:00.
All other times by appointment.
Nick Bentley
Kate Bentley
Layla Khoo
©BILS&RYE 2013-2018