Scottish genius John Byrne's retrospective exhibition opens at Glasgow's Kelvingrove

Described as a “true polymath”, Byrne has continued to work, paint and create plays on into his 80s.

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Byrne said: “It’s been a real pleasure working with Glasgow Museums on this retrospective. I’ve been in and out of Kelvingrove my whole life. It’s a delight to be reunited with works I’ve not seen in years, especially as they are hanging on the walls of a place I and so many people love.

“I’m glad that with the help of so many friends who’ve loaned artworks we’ve been able to showcase a really broad range, from murals to storyboards and everything in-between. I suppose you could say it tells much of my life story. I hope visitors enjoy it, seeing art should be fun. For me it’s certainly been a fun, big adventure all these years.”

John Patrick Byrne retrospective A Big Adventure opens at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Pictured is Martin Craig, Curator of Art post 1945 at Glasgow Life Museums, who put the exhibition together next to the diptych, Sir Billy Connolly and Banjo

Comprised of seven sections, charting Byrne’s broad career, A Big Adventure opens with a brief look at his early life. The artist speaks fondly of growing up in Paisley and of working as a slab boy, mixing paint for the designers at AF Stoddard & Co carpet factory after leaving school.

In 1958 he was accepted to study at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA). Despite having to re-sit his first year Byrne went on to win the Newbery Medal for best final year student and the Bellahouston travelling scholarship, which allowed him to study in Italy.

Byrne returned to AF Stoddard & Co as a carpet designer, teaching evening classes at the GSA. During this time, he sent a small painting to London’s Portal Gallery, pretending it was the work of his father. In blending their lives, Byrne created an alter ego, Patrick. The gallery offered “Patrick” his first solo exhibition. To this day Byrne occasionally signs his works “Patrick”.

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Martin Craig, curator of art post-1945 at Glasgow Life Museums, who put the exhibition together, said: “This project started pre-pandemic and with so many works in private collections Covid brought its challenges.

“The Fine Art Society have been amazing, and, of course, as soon as you say it’s for John everyone is more than happy to help.

“Words like icon and genius can be overused, but in John’s case they are perfectly apt. He is, without question, one of the most important artists of the last 70 years and he is so prolific.”

John Patrick Byrne retrospective A Big Adventure opens at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Photograph by Colin Mearns.

Ninety-five per cent of the exhibition is from private collections and Mr Craig says they could have filled Kelvingrove five times over.

He says some of the stand-out pieces include rarely seen watercolours and sketches and he believes the exhibition has something for everyone, whether they are new to Byrne’s work or are more familiar with it.

“When we began talking about this in 2019 John wanted it to be fun, exciting,” he added.

“I think a lot of people know him from his stage work and maybe haven’t seen much of paintings or vice versa. I think we will capture people from both of those genres. There are pieces which people won’t have seen before such as watercolours from a private collector in Los Angeles which has only been shown once before.”

John Patrick Byrne retrospective A Big Adventure opens at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Photograph by Colin Mearns.

Mr Craig said the difficulty was trying to select pieces from the vast collection and he was still been offer

John Patrick Byrne retrospective A Big Adventure opens at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Pictured is Martin Craig, Curator of Art post 1945 at Glasgow Life Museums, who put the exhibition together next to a self portrait of John Byrne titled Hands

Mr Craig said the difficulty was trying to select pieces from the vast collection and he was still been offered work just days before it was due to be open.

One highlight of the show is a room displaying more than 40 self-portraits, described as the most ever displayed at one time, spanning 1963 to 2020.

Paintings of famous figures including Byrne’s former partner, Tilda Swinton, and Sir Billy Connolly also feature in the exhibition, along with more intimate studies of close family and friends. The exhibition also explores Byrne’s passion for music, as well as writing and his influence on Scottish culture through his collaborations with other artistic figures such as his friends, the late Gerry Rafferty, and Connolly.

A host of Scottish cultural commentators have contributed, adding their memories and impressions of Byrne in short film clips. Several institutions from across the UK and private lenders have loaned items to the retrospective, complementing those held in Glasgow Life Museums’ collection.