SPIRIT OF PLACE EXHIBITION: GERARD BYRNE STUDIO | DUBLIN

It is exactly 150 years since the first Impressionist exhibition opened in Paris on 15 April 1874 at the studio of the photographer Nadar on 35 Boulevard des Capucines. This year, tributes are taking place in many galleries around the world, most notably a major exhibition of 130 works titled Paris 1874 Inventing Impressionism at the Musée d’Orsay.

Ireland’s foremost Modern Impressionist, Gerard Byrne, presents Spirit of Place in celebration of this ground-breaking event. The Impressionist movement’s founders —  Monet, Renoir, Degas, Morisot, Pissarro, Sisley and Cézanne — advocated painting outdoors, en plein air, as this is termed, exposed to natural light and surrounded by the sights and sounds of the real world, as opposed to the far more restrictive conditions of the studio. The ideals and principles by which the Impressionists worked are the identical ones that Gerard Byrne has been using throughout the whole of his 35 year professional career. 

Highlighting his expert treatment of architectural heritage, his uniquely atmospheric street scenes and cityscapes, and accompanied by a fully-illustrated 150 page hardcover catalogue with complementary texts by author Susan Stairs, this exhibition affirms Byrne’s undeniable talent and demonstrates how, as a contemporary exponent of Impressionism, he is keeping alive the traditions and principles of a group whose innovation and bravery transformed the history of art.