Using the Catalogue
 |
| Jody Isaacson (David Byrd Estate), Susannah Shpperd (PanOpticon), Jessica Farrell (David Byrd Estate) at Anton Kern Gallery 2024. |
The David Byrd Estate is pleased to present this catalogue raisonné of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by the artist David Byrd. This online publication catalogs all known paintings, sculptures, and selected drawings credited to Byrd with one or more images of the work together with a searchable entry about the work, including its provenance, exhibition history, literature, and studies, which refer directly to the main entry. In line with the Project’s purposes, this publication is accessible to scholars and the general public for free with registration.
As explained in further detail below, this catalogue raisonné of paintings includes works on canvas, sculptures and assemblages, and certain works on paper. The information in this catalogue is intended to be accurate as of the time of publication online. As an online publication, the Project is able to update the catalogue and we plan to make updates as new information and images emerge.
Works Included in the David Byrd Catalogue Raisonné
The David Byrd Estate is of the opinion, based on sound evidence, that the works of art included in this catalogue were done by the hand of David Byrd. All these works were in Byrd’s possession in his home in Sidney Center, New York, at the time of his death. There may have been a few works traded for services rendered, but we have been unable to validate this and have seen no photographs of examples. There is only one work that David took a photograph of that has not been found. (P331)
Guide to Entries
The entries in this catalogue are organized by catalogue number. Each work in this catalogue has been assigned a unique Catalogue Raisonné (CR#). An example of a CR# is P1. The CR# begins with a prefix letter corresponding to the genre of the work. For this catalogue, the letter P represents the “Painting” genre and is focused on oil on canvas paintings. While we are currently at work on the works on paper by the artist, our current catalogue entry pages include images and information for drawing studies related specifically to paintings. The following prefix letters in this catalogue are classified into the following genres:
AC: Auction Card
BK: David Byrd’s book Montrose V.A. 1958-88
LS: Loose Sketch
P: Painting, oil on canvas
OP: Pastel
SC/A: Sculpture/Assemblage
SK1 – SK19: Sketchbooks 1-19
SD: Small Drawing
WC: Watercolor
You can also sort the Catalogue by date, title, or size. You can filter your search using the FILTER drop-down menu by decade and/or theme. The dates included in the Catalogue are 1938–2013. The themes and distribution for the catalogue are as follows:
Auction
Family
Genre
Landscape
Mixed Themes
Pine Swamp House
Self Portrait
Still Life
VA Hospital
War Time
Each entry will contain the following information:
P1(catalogue number)
Old Man (title)
1998 (year)
Oil on canvas (medium)
29 x 21 in. (73.7 x 53.3 cm) (dimensions)
Signed and dated upper left pen: BYRD signed on the back, too. (signature/inscription)
David Byrd Estate (current owner)
Photo: Tom Gorman; © 2013 (photo credit)
Byrd was consistent in titling his paintings and sculptures; however, he titled only a small selection of his drawings. If no title is given, those works have only a catalogue number utilizing the prefix - #. The titles are in italics.
The date listed for a work is the year in which the work was completed. It could have been started in another year. In instances where a work was to have been started in one year and completed in another, David chose the latter. Many of the studies are not dated.
All works in this catalogue have been classified according to the medium and support Byrd used to create them. We determined that Byrd primarily worked with the following media for his paintings:
Cardboard
Charcoal
Colored Pencil
Crayon
Crayon and Pencil
Found Object
Oil
Oil Pastel
Pen
Pencil
Watercolor
Wood
Byrd primarily used the following supports for the works:
Auction card
On board
On canvas
On cardboard
On menu
On paper
On tracing paper
With found objects
The dimensions of a work are identified by height, followed by width, and given in both inches (rounded up to the nearest 1/8th of an inch) and centimeters (calculated based upon the dimensions measured in inches). The works were measured unframed from edge to edge.
Byrd inscribed and signed his name in a variety of styles. We have identified the following styles: He used both pencil and pen to sign his works.
Signature alone or signature and date on the front of the work.
Signature often just BYRD in upper case on his oil paintings.
Other signatures include Byrd, BYRD, D Byrd, David, Byrd, DB
Signature David Byrd in cursive can be found in early drawings.
Most of the signatures are on either the lower left or lower right.
Note: David Byrd’s paintings were professionally photographed in 2012. However, a number of the paintings were signed by Byrd in 2013 after the photographs that appear on the CR were taken.
The current owner is listed in each entry.
The photography credit is the last in each entry. The catalogue includes the best quality images available at the time of publication so that images may be examined in detail. New and higher quality images may be uploaded as they are obtained.
Several photographers and institutions are credited for the images used in the catalogue.
Provenance
Current and Former Owners of Works
The provenance of a work is listed in chronological order, with the current owner listed at the bottom. We have not stated “Collection of the Artist” as the first entry since it is understood that all works originally belonged to the artist and were then transferred to the David Byrd Estate. Attempts have been made to identify and contact all current and former owners of the works. When owners have expressed a wish to remain anonymous, the Project honors our commitment to preserving owner privacy by identifying such works as “Private Collection," as in the example below. If the current provenance is the David Byrd Estate, the work is available for sale.
Provenance
David Byrd Estate
Greg Kucera Gallery
Private collection
Private collection
Exhibitions
All known solo and group exhibitions that featured Byrd works are listed and searchable in the catalogue. Exhibitions can be sorted by Year, Venue, Country, and City. They can also be filtered using the FILTER drop down menu by Type, Documentation, Decade and Country.
Exhibitions are listed in chronological order and include the venue, title, date and travelling information (if applicable). Byrd works included in each exhibition are displayed, as well as the exhibition press release and, if available, the exhibition brochure and installation photographs.
Literature
If an entry has any Literature associated with it, this section will be included after EXHIBITIONS. This link will direct you to a specific piece of literature. Literature includes reviews of exhibitions, interviews, brochures, essays, highlights, and a few miscellaneous whatnots.
Literature can be sorted by Abbreviation, Year, or Type. Literature can also be filtered using the FILTER drop-down menu: Types, Documentation, or Decade
Studies
The STUDIES section of David Byrd’s Catalogue Raisonné is devoted to works on paper made with pencil or pen that correspond DIRECTLY to a painting or sculpture. They can be located within each entry at the bottom of the page if, indeed, there are studies. They can also be sorted by theme and medium in the FILTERS drop-down menu. Most of the studies are not dated.