GERARD BYRNE ARTIST

For Gerard Byrne, place is hugely important. A plein air artist with thirty-five years' experience, he has developed an inherent sensitivity to his surroundings. Having fostered affinities with specific areas over the course of his career, he returns to them again and again, confident they are places where he can produce successful pieces. Like his forebears, The Impressionists, Byrne strives to enhance the ordinary, to elevate the familiar, to produce work which captivates and entices, promoting a sense of serenity and calm that is directly attributable to his sympathy for, and appreciation of, the beauty of his surroundings.

A FEAST FOR ART ENTHUSIASTS, Turning Corners brings together a collection of 150 stunning works executed by Gerard Byrne, Ireland's foremost Modern Impressionist, spanning the period of Spring 2020 to Summer 2021. Byrne brought his easel out onto the streets as regulations allowed, exquisitely capturing his local area in oils and charcoal. From the rooftops and residential roads of Ranelagh to the cherry blossoms of Herbert Park; from Leeson Street and the Grand Canal to the National Botanic Gardens and St Stephen's Green; from the seaside villages of Dalkey and Sandycove to the Dingle Peninsula on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way; Byrne has given us a pictorial record of an extraordinary time as seen through the eyes of one who discovered beauty and complexity around every corner.

In an ever-changing world, the 'Charcoalogy' collection serves to remind us that artistic endeavour has always been about leaving marks. The architectural heritage highlighted in these works resulted from the vision and foresight of draughtsmen, designers, and planners. Its preservation and celebration are crucial to our understanding of the past. Byrne's drawings acknowledge those artists and mark makers who came before him - both in execution and representation - and will remain to be as appreciated in the future as much as the past structures they so expertly and beautifully portray.