Val Byrne FRIAI: Irish contemporary art, artist and paintings

Val Byrne was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1936 . He studied Art and Architecture at University College Dubin (UCD) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.

After a short spell working in London Val Byrne returned to Dublin and established a partnership with another architect. By the early 70's the business had grown into one of the larger practices in Dublin and was carrying out major projects throughout Ireland, Africa and the Middle East. In 1985 Val was awarded and made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (FRIAI).

In the late 1980's Val retired from his Architect practice and returned full time to his love of painting. Val Byrne has painted all of his life winning his first major national art competition in Ireland in his teens. Because of his architectural background Val has a particular interest in the urban landscape of Ireland. Most of Byrne's contemporary paintings record Irish scenes of the 20th and 21st Century with an emphasis on harbours and boats and a mixture of domestic and residential buildings.

Val Byrne contemporary paintings include the bright colours of the painted buildings which are nowadays very characteristic of the towns, villages and harbours around Ireland. Val has always sought to include in his paintings a degree of quirkyness and the absurd. As he says: "If there is wobbly leaning lamppost with straggling wires in the scene, I leave it in”, but he also has a developing interest in his first love - Cubism. Today he is probably the only Irish artist working with a Cubist approach to Irish images.

Today Val Byrne paintings are held in private and corporate art collections throughout the world including: Mary McAleese, President of Ireland; Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland and U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights; Jean Kennedy Smith, former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland and several Irish Embassies in Europe, USA, Africa, Asia. In 2004 Val Byrne completed six large paintings for the Irish Ambassador's new residence in Canberra, Australia. Val's paintings have also often featured in publications most notably Forty paintings were commissioned for the book " Bray and North Wicklow" published in 2004 and his paintings of the 75th Anniversary of the Irish Navy are included in " A Maritime history of Cork"

In addition to Red Rag Irish Art Gallery Val Byrne has exhibited at other leading Irish Art Galleries including the Royal Hibernian Academy. Every painting at Red Rag is sourced from the Val Byrne artist studio in Ireland and like all Red Rag Irish art and Contemporary art it can be shipped worldwide.