Gerard Byrne, Première séance 27 janvier 1928, 2012.
Gerard Byrne’s latest multi-screen installation, A man and a woman make love (2012) recreates a discussion held on the 27 January 1928 by members of the Surrealist group of artists and writers, which was subsequently published in their journal La Révolution surréaliste no. 11 under the title 'Recherches sur la Sexualité'. Using actors, Byrne re-staged the first discussion in the form of a TV play with a live studio audience. The characters in this image, or the protagonists of Byrne’s multi-channel projection, 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 close 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.
Medium: Selenium toned Silver Gelatin print
Dimensions: 49.4 cm x 40.6 cm with a 4 cm white border
Edition of 80
Signed and numbered
Price: £300.00/ Members price £270.00
This limited edition Gerard Byrne print is available at Whitechapel Gallery
