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This limited edition refers to Gerard Byrne’s installation, A man and a woman make love (2012) which recreates a discussion held on the 27 January 1928 by members of the Surrealist group of artists and writers, subsequently published in their journal La Révolution surréaliste no. 11 under the title ‘Recherches sur la Sexualité’. Using actors, Byrne re-staged the discussion in the form of a TV play with a live studio audience. The characters in this image, refer to the session’s participants, including Jacques Prévert, Pierre Unik and Yves Tanguy, with André Breton – the group leader appearing at the bottom center of the image. Byrne has depicted the characters with their eyes closed in reference to a famous group portrait published in the subsequent edition of La Révolution surréaliste no. 12, where the Surrealists represented themselves contemplating a female muse figure.
Gerard Byrne was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1969. He is renowned for his films which revisit historic moments and conversations, ranging from an interview with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre; science fiction writers Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov discussing the future; and articles from Playboy magazine. Byrne’s work explores the way we build our understanding of the present through reconstruction of the past. His diverse subjects have encompassed stories based around the Loch Ness monster, the location of a Samuel Beckett play, or the history of Minimalist art.
Byrne’s Solo exhibitions include: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, 2012, IMMA, Dublin, 2011; Milton Keynes Gallery, 2011; The Renaissance Society, Chicago, 2011; ICA Boston and the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen (both 2008). Group Exhibtions; P.S.1 Center, New York; Tramway, Glasgow; Whitney Museum of American Art; Museum Ludwig, Vienna; Tate Britain and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.He was awarded the Paul Hamlyn Award in 2006 and in 2007 represented Ireland at the Venice Biennale. Other major presentations of his work at international biennials include: dOCUMENTA, Kassel, 2012; Performa, New York and the 54th Venice biennale.
His work is included in public collections including: Tate, London; Hirshhorn Museum, Washington; MUDAM, Luxembourg; Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; FRAC Nord Pas-de-Calais and Pays de Loire; Arts Council of Ireland.
Gerard Byrne currently lives and works in Dublin and is represented by the Lisson Gallery, London, Green on Red Gallery, Dublin, and by Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm.
