[1] His artwork encompasses various themes from landscapes and architecture painted both in his native Ireland and on foreign travels, through still life to the floral and figurative works.

His father worked for many years as a self-employed customs agent, while his mother "Kay" reared the family of six: Brendan, Miriam, Gerard, Pauline, Janette and Irene.

At the age of 14, he left school and got his first job at Clery's, a landmark department store on O'Connell Street, where he worked as a lift boy for 4 years.

He decided to leave a well-paid pensionable post and in 1982 together with his best friend Fran organised a road trip to Australia in a vintage Volkswagen camper van.

Very determined to make his dream come true Gerard left for New York and worked tirelessly as an electrician for about two years.

Gerard befriended local traders, who were supportive of his art and even fed him, often leaving boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables on his doorstep.

In New York, he got cheap accommodation in the Spanish Harlem, a rough part of the city where he was the only white European and believed by the neighbours to be a cop undercover.

[citation needed] In 2003, a relationship with the mother of his daughter Clara broke and he travelled to Dingle, the West Coast of Ireland to find solitude and much-needed inspiration.

[4] It became a recognised spot on the map of Dalkey, a place where the creative vibe dominated the structure of the house, run not for profit but for love of art, something he had learnt in Berlin a decade before.

The Art House was situated in the heart of Dalkey village, directly opposite a well-known pub called Finnegan's which is featured in a number of Gerrard's paintings.

[4] In August 2013, the artist opened The Gerard Byrne Studio in Dalkey[5] hosting the reception of his wedding the following month.

[8] In July 2016, Gerard came second place in the 'professional artists' category at Pintar Rapido London,[9] the UK's biggest plein air painting festival and competition.

‘Time is the Enemy’ combined a mix of floral, architectural, landscape and figurative works, proving the unsurpassed versatility of Gerard's painting.

Same week Byrne celebrated 30 years of painting outdoors at the National Botanic Gardens (Ireland) in Dublin, in an exhibition entitled ‘Inside Outside & Beyond’.

[17] The exhibition was organised in collaboration with the Office of Public Works, and hosted at the National Botanic Gardens’ gallery space.

Gerard's residency resulted in a new collection of plein-air paintings that paid homage to the lush foliage of Southeast Asia.

[24] In early 2020, the highly anticipated 'Botanical Fusion' collection created during Byrne's Artist-in-Residence at the Singapore Botanic Gardens made its way to Dublin.

The collection of artworks was launched by Mr Ron Bolger, Honorary Consul-General of Singapore in Ireland on 27 February [25] at the Gerard Byrne Studio as 'Botanical Fusion.

In response, Gerard Byrne Studio created accessible worldwide an innovative and interactive 360-degree virtual gallery tour of the exhibition.

Launched on World Environment Day, 5 June 2020, as the first virtual experience offered by a privately owned art gallery in Ireland.