Gerard Byrne

Gerard Byrne (born 29 March 1958, in Dublin) is an Irish figurative painter.

His artwork encompasses various themes from landscapes and architecture painted both in his native Ireland and on foreign travels, through still life to the floral and figurative works.

Gerard Byrne was born in Finglas, Dublin, Ireland, to parents Brendan and Kathleen.

His father worked for many years as a self-employed customs agent, while his mother "Kay" reared the family of six: Brendan, Miriam, Gerard, Pauline, Janette and Irene.

He attended the Sacred Heart school in Glasnevin, then the City Quay School and the St Kevin's Christian Brothers in Ballygall.

Unrecognised and untreated dyslexia prevented him from making the most out of the school education.

However his artistic talents had been recognised, and from an early age he was encouraged to draw.

He wanted to enter the art college but was too young at the time to be accepted.

At the age of 14 he left school and got his first job at Clery's, a landmark department store on O'Connell Street, where he worked as a lift boy for 4 years.

Byrne made an attempt to enter an art college, but not having sufficient qualifications he got refused.

Following his parents' advice to get a "real job" he started an apprenticeship as an electrician.

It led him to obtain his dream job: a lighthouse technician.

Between 1978 and 1982 he mastered the trade but the innate curiosity made him move on in his life.

He decided to leave a well paid pensionable post and in 1982 together with his best friend Fran organised a road trip to Australia in a vintage Volkswagen camper van.

The two travelled across Europe but got stuck in Turkey when the visas to Iran had been refused due to the Iran–Iraq War.

They made their way to Athens, sold the van in Greece and took a plane to Australia.

The two hitchhiked around the continent and made their way to Darwin where both got jobs as flying electricians installing generators in aboriginal settlements.

From Australia Gerard made his way back home via Asia, travelling through Indonesia, Burma, India and Russia mostly by train and then flew back from Moscow.

Back in Dublin, Byrne continued working as an electrician taking various day time jobs.

The longing to be a painter became predominant though.

Gradually he developed an idea to leave the recession hit Ireland and travel to America to earn some money.

His plan was to purchase an inexpensive house in an inner city and focus on becoming a full-time artist.

Very determined to make his dream come true Gerard left for New York and worked tirelessly as an electrician for about two years.

Upon his return to Dublin he spent all his savings on a cheap flat in the Liberties.

Committed to sticking to his plan he led a humble life and focused on drawing and painting.

He would mostly spend time in the local market, painting the people and the local scenes.

Gerard befriended local traders, who were supportive of his art and even fed him, often leaving boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables on his doorstep.

Finding it hard to support himself he took an electrician job again.

However an electric shock that nearly killed him had a sobering effect.

It made him fully realise that his true life ambition was to be an artist.

By chance he saw a documentary on the forthcoming changes in East Berlin and felt a strong need to be there to experience it.

He decided to leave Ireland again.

In early 1989, Gerard packed his paint and canvas into an old camper van and left for Germany.

Passing through Checkpoint Charlie in East Berlin he encountered the underground movement whose member had offered him to become an Artist-in-Residence.

It was a major breakthrough, Byrne became a full-time artist.

A few months later, in November 1989 the Berlin Wall came down.

Seven months of working in the streets of Berlin, painting the local scenes and architecture resulted in a solo show of his works.

An exhibition was organised under cover in a deteriorated, disused supermarket transformed for three weeks into an aesthetically pleasing art gallery called the People's Gallery.

Although the theme of works was not politically charged the event itself was an act of freedom, a statement of the love of art and against the state interfering in the freedom of expression.

Gerard stayed in Berlin through the unification process and shared the liberation experience with his new German friends.