This replica of Byrd’s sketchbook is both an introduction to an under-appreciated American artist and a sensitive postwar portrait of those who served in World War II
Though he rarely exhibited his art during his lifetime, American painter David Byrd (1926-2013) developed a sophisticated artistic practice alongside his career as a psychiatric ward orderly. A World War II veteran himself, Byrd was deeply affected by the nearly 30 years he spent working at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in upstate New York.
In muted tones, Byrd depicts the alienation experienced by his patients with a particular sensitivity towards the illusion of space: even when crowded into the same room, his figures appear utterly alone.
This publication is a replica of the journal that Byrd kept from 1958 to 1988, in which he documented the personal histories of his patients and reflected on humanity’s capacity for pain and survival. Filled with sketches and daily observations, Byrd’s journal is an introduction to an under-recognized artist as well as a record of psychological trauma during the postwar period in the United States.
Featured image is reproduced from 'David Byrd: Montrose VA 1958–1988.'
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
New York Times
Brett Sokol
To call it a sketchbook doesn’t begin to do justice to Byrd’s draftsmanship, or to the otherworldly quality he brings to rendering his patients’ inner lives on the page.
STATUS: Out of stock
Temporarily out of stock pending additional inventory.
FORMAT: Pbk, 8.5 x 11 in. / 220 pgs / 216 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $50.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $70 ISBN: 9783775747264 PUBLISHER: Hatje Cantz AVAILABLE: 7/7/2020 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: Out of stock TERRITORY: NA LA
Published by Hatje Cantz. Edited by Chloe Lin, Amanda Singer.
This replica of Byrd’s sketchbook is both an introduction to an under-appreciated American artist and a sensitive postwar portrait of those who served in World War II
Though he rarely exhibited his art during his lifetime, American painter David Byrd (1926-2013) developed a sophisticated artistic practice alongside his career as a psychiatric ward orderly. A World War II veteran himself, Byrd was deeply affected by the nearly 30 years he spent working at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in upstate New York.
In muted tones, Byrd depicts the alienation experienced by his patients with a particular sensitivity towards the illusion of space: even when crowded into the same room, his figures appear utterly alone.
This publication is a replica of the journal that Byrd kept from 1958 to 1988, in which he documented the personal histories of his patients and reflected on humanity’s capacity for pain and survival. Filled with sketches and daily observations, Byrd’s journal is an introduction to an under-recognized artist as well as a record of psychological trauma during the postwar period in the United States.
