Paintings by Charles Byrd (1916-)

A selection of paintings by the artist Charles Byrd (1916-), donated by the artist to Cardiff Central Library.

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Charles Byrd was born in Pontypridd in 1916. He trained as an engineer, but became a full time artist in 1950. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s his work was typified by the paintings seen in this collection - figurative, highly detailed, with a fresh and naïve quality, depicting scenes of everyday life in and around Cardiff, where he has lived and worked all his life. During the 1960s Byrd abandoned this style of work altogether, and experimented with abstract themes, eventually moving into kinetic sculpture, for which he is probably best known. His work is represented in many public collections throughout Wales and beyond.