QODE INTERACTIVE - Key Persons
"It's been great working with [Richard] because he's a gifted artist, very meticulous. To work on something like this is unique. We needed someone who could do it with accuracy and delicacy, and he delivered."
Richard Byrne began his career in 1978 working at Zaritsky Art Foundry in Kiryat Motzkin, Israel where he worked closely under Holocaust memorial sculptor Nathan Rapoport. Byrne moved to New York to continue to work with Rapoport at the Modern Art Foundry in Long Island and later moved on to the Tallix Foundry in Peekskill. Byrne went on to study all aspects of fine art casting at the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture in New Jersey where he specialized in structures, restoration and patina applications. Byrne was commissioned to work on several notable public sculptures, including Lorado Taft's monumental sculpture The Blind.
In 1989 Byrne moved to Chicago and co-founded Great Lakes Metal Works & Art Studio with his wife, Donna Zarbin-Byrne, which laid the ground for the creation of Artisan Restoration International.
Richard has collaborated with architects, interior designers, and artists on a multitude of projects. He has created and restored a wide range of projects including fine art, architectural elements, and furniture.