“Still life does not need to be so deadening, as is proved by the Walker Art Gallery’s John Moores Painting Prize. Judged from open submissions and thus resistant to curatorial heavy-handedness, this year’s show is full of intriguing variations on the genre. For manipulation of fat, oozing oil paint, James Byrne’s radiant table top composition “Book” is the star…”

Financial Times July 16th – Creation Trumped by Curation. Review of Liverpool Biennial. Jackie Wullschlager  

James Byrne is a Birmingham painter and has had a studio practice in the city since completing his M.A. in painting at Birmingham College of Art in 1982.

His work has been included in a number of important shows and he had a one man show at the IKON gallery in 1986. He was in the Ikon 21st birthday show touring to Hong Kong and also in English Expressionism at the Warwick Arts Trust, London where he showed with, amongst others, John Walker, Gillian Ayres, Bert Irvin and Terry Setch. He was included in Bill Gear and Friends at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the Jerwood Drawing Prize and was recently selected for the 2014 John Moores Painting Prize Exhibition in Liverpool. He has work in the Warwick Arts Trust permanent collection as well as that of Birmingham Museum Trust, the IBM Collection and St. Thomas’ Hospital, London.

SEE RECENT WORK

Further Information

Find out more on Exhibitions, shows, collections, reviews and publications

SELECTED MIXED EXHIBITIONS
  • 1983: M.A. Fine Arts Show, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham   
  • 1983: Work selected from M.A. Shows, Warwick Arts Trust, London
  • 1984: English  Expressionism,  Warwick  Arts  Trust,  London    
  • 1984: 21 for 21. Twenty-one selected painters for Ikon Birthday Show, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham 
  • 1984: Ikon 21 Show, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong   
  • 1985: Leicester Collection for Schools and Colleges Show, Beau Manor Hall, Loughborough   
  • 1985: Mid-Art, Dudley Museum and Art Gallery
  • 1986: Derby Manor Hospital (Ikon Touring)
  • 1986: Phoenix  Arts  Centre (Ikon Touring)
  • 1986: Wednesbury Art Gallery (Ikon Touring)   
  • 1987: Artists in Public, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. Selected by Tessa Sidey of BMAG
  • 1987: ‘A Second Glance’, Cotton  Gallery, Midlands Art Centre   
  • 1987: Arthur Anderson Show, Birmingham
  • 1988: Midland Contemporary Art, launch Show, Birmingham   
  • 1988: Midland Contemporary Art, at Long & Ryle, London   
  • 1988: ‘Artists in Public’, Charlotte Street, Birmingham   
  • 1988: ‘Artists in Public’, Sheffield    
  • 1988: Clare Stracey ‘Midland Contemporary Art’ Show, IBM, Warwickshire
  • 1989: Work Selected from Birmingham Studios by Pete McCarthy, Lanchester Gallery, School of Art, Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry
  • 1989: Clare Stracey ‘Midland Contemporary Art’ Show, Compton Verney, Stratford
  • 1989: Artists in Public, B.A.T. Show, Gas Hall Gallery, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery 
  • 1990: B.A.T. Show selected by Bill Gear, Gas Hall Gallery, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery 
  • 1990: ‘Mid-­Art’, Dudley Museum and Art Gallery   
  • 1991: Midland Contemporary Art, Mixed Show, Clare Stracey Gallery, George Street, Birmingham   
  • 1992: Midland Contemporary Art, Small Pictures, Clare Stracey Gallery, George Street, Birmingham  
  • 1992: Ikon Touring Show, Arcadian Shopping Centre   
  • 1992: Mid-Art, Dudley Museum and Art Gallery   
  • 1992: Midland Contemporary Art, Small Pictures   
  • 1993: 2nd City Art Show, selected by Robert Clarke, Gina Metcalf, Sylvia Wright, Birmingham   
  • 1994: The ‘Laing’ Landscape Show, Work selected from regional shows, The   Mall Galleries, London   
  • 1995: ‘Internal External’ West Midlands Arts, Birmingham   
  • 1995: The ‘Laing’ Landscape Show, Bond Gallery   
  • 1995: The ‘Laing’ Landscape Show, Patchings Gallery, Nottingham
  • 1996: Bill Gear ‘Past and Present Friends’, Birmingham Museum and Art  Gallery
  • 2000: No. 9 The Gallery, Birmingham  
  • 2000: Ashbourne Gallery, Ashbourne, Derby
  • 2001: No. 9 The Gallery, Birmingham   
  • 2002: No. 9 The Gallery, Birmingham   
  • 2003: ‘Abstraction’ Invited artist RBSA Gallery, Birmingham   
  • 2003: The Jerwood Drawing Prize, Jerwood Space, London 
  • 2003/2004: The Jerwood Prize Touring Show
    • University of Gloucestershire;
    • Pittville Gallery;
    • Rennie Mackintosh Gallery;
    • Glasgow School of Art;
    • EICH Gallery;  
    • University of Lincoln, Hull Campus, Hull;
    • Promenade Gallery; and,
    • The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays.
  • 2003/2004: ‘Flipside’, Birmingham Artists Exhibition, selected by Ross Alderson, Emma Archer and Terry Grimley, St. Pauls Gallery, Birmingham     
  • 2004: ‘Blueskies’ Birmingham Artists Exhibition, selected by Jonathan Watkins (Director of Ikon Gallery) and Sadie Plant  (writer), Custard Factory, Birmingham
  • 2004: Summer Exhibition, New Gallery, St. Pauls Square, Birmingham   
  • 2005: Birmingham Artists, Small Pictures, Periscope Gallery, Lee Bank House, Birmingham 
  • 2006: Birmingham Artists, Line Up, Drawing Show, Periscope Gallery, Lee Bank House, Birmingham
  • 2008/2009: ‘The Art of Birmingham1890 – 2008, Part 2 1940 – 2008’, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery   
  • 2010: Opening Exhibition, Reuben Colley Fine Arts, Birmingham   
  • 2010: ‘Drawings’, Reuben Colley Fine Arts, Birmingham   
  • 2011: ‘Vista’, Reuben Colley Fine Arts, Birmingham
  • 2012:  ‘Second Anniversary Exhibition’ Reuben Colley Fine Arts, Birmingham
  • 2012: ‘The Allotment Project’ Ongoing Collaboration between Birmingham and Bordeux Artists. MAC Gallery – Curator – Graham Chorlton   
  • 2013: ‘Leamington Open’ – Leamington Museum and Art Gallery. Leamington
  • 2014: John Moores Painting Prize Exhibition, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
  • 2015: ‘Hinterland’ 10 Painters, Exhibition Space Birmingham Arts Space Telson Building, Birmingham
  • 2016: ‘Hinterland 2’ Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Rugby
  • 2017: Autumn Show, Reuben Colley Fine Arts, Birmingham
  • 2017: ‘Eight Painters’, Woodbridge Gallery, Birmingham
  • 2018: Five Painters’, Reuben Colley Fine Arts at ‘The Bridge’ Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
  • 2019: The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Exhibition. The Chainstore, Trinity Buoy Wharf, 64 Orchard Place, London, E14 0JY
    • Salisbury Museum;
    •  Trinity Buoy Wharf; and,
    • The Gallery, De Montfort University
  • 2019: The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize Exhibition. The Chainstore, Trinity Buoy Wharf, 64 Orchard Place, London, E14 0JY
  • 2022: ‘West Midlands Open’ Selected Show, New Art Gallery Walsall
ONE PERSON SHOWS
  • 1986:  ‘James Byrne Paintings’, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham   
  • 1986: Ikon Touring Show, ‘James Byrne Monotypes’   
  • 1999: Small Paintings, Westhill College, Birmingham   
  • 1999: ‘Fields Series’, Midland Art Centre, Birmingham   
  • 2001: ‘Field Series’, Kings School Gallery, Worcester   
  • 2011: James Byrne Paintings and Drawings’, Reuben Colley Fine Arts, Birmingham
  • 2012: ‘James Byrne Painting and Process’, Research and Cultural Collections, Rotunda Aston Webb Building. University of Birmingham
  • 2018: ‘Between the Islands’ Reuben Colley Fine Arts, Birmingham
  • 2022: ‘Works on Paper’ Colley Ison Gallery, Birmingham
THREE PERSON SHOWS

1992: Midland Contemporary Art, Small Landscapes, James Byrne, Terry Shave, Michael Porter

COLLECTIONS

A number of Private Collections in London and The Midlands;

  • St Thomas’ Hospital, London
  • IBM Headquarters, Warwickshire
  • Warwick Arts Trust,
  • Permanent Collection Birmingham Museum & Arts Gallery (From the William Gear Collection)
REVIEWS
  • 1984: Critics Forum – Radio 3 – English Expressionism – 17th  May   
  • 1984: New Society – English Expressionism – May   
  • 1986: Arts Review – Review of Ikon Show by Tessa Sidey   
  • 1989: Arts Review – Review of Lancaster Show   
  • 2005: January Edition, Art of England Magazine   
  • 2005: August Edition, Birmingham Life Magazine Reviews
  • 2014: Financial Times July 16th – Creation Trumped by Curation. Review of Liverpool Biennial. Jackie Wullschlager    

 

PUBLICATIONS
  • 1984: Ikon Gallery ’21 for 21′ catalogue with introduction from Antonia Paige and Harry Snook  
  • 1986: Ikon Gallery exhibition catalogue ‘James Byrne Paintings’ with essay by Michael Williams  
  • 1990: Dictionary of British Art Volume VI, Twentieth Century Painters and Sculptors.
  • Frances Spalding, assistant editor Judith Collins. Antique Collection Cluc. ISBN 1 85149 106 6
  • 1994:  Laing exhibition catalogue   
  • 2003: Jerwood Drawing Prize catalogue published by Jerwood Foundation
  • 2008: ‘The Art of Birmingham 1890 – 2008’ Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
  • 2014: ‘As Exciting As We Can Make It’ Ikon in the 1980s (Essays Reference) ISBN 978 1 904864 91 2
  • 2014: John Moores Painting Prize 2014 – Show Catalogue. Published by Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool, John Moores Liverpool Exhibition Trust. ISBN 978 1 902700 51 9
  • 2019: Trinity Bhoy Wharf Drawing Prize Exhibition Catalogue. Published by Drawing Projects UK. ISBN 978 1 9999936 1 0