Artist John Byrne to be celebrated with retrospective shows in Edinburgh and Glasgow

John Byrne painted 'Man on the beach with cat' in 1972.

He is one of Scotland’s most celebrated cultural polymaths whose work has been winning admirers for more than half a century.

Now the paintings of John Byrne are set to be celebrated in both Edinburgh and Glasgow with the launch of two exhibitions bringing together works of art he has created as far back as the 1960s.

The major retrospectives, which will both open at the Fine Art Society and Kelvingrove later this month, will chart the career of the 82-year-old, who is equally well known for his work in theatre and television than in the visual art world.

They will recall how Paisley-born Byrne – a former carpet factory worker - first found success as an artist in London by using the pseudonym “Patrick” and claiming to be a self-taught painter to secure an exhibition at a gallery looking to showcase untrained artists.

'Two children,' created for the Patrick at Portal exhibition by John Bryne in 1968.

The two exhibitions will coincide with the launch of a major new musical theatre production inspired by the Paisley upbringing of Bryne, who found fame with the stage trilogy The Slab Boys and TV dramas Your Cheatin’ Heart and Tutti Frutti.

Underwood Lane, which will premiere at Johnstone Town Hall in Renfrewshire and the Tron Theatre in Glasgow, will focus on the travails of a young skiffle band trying to make it big as they grapple with “style, fierce love rivalry, broken hearts, dodgy dealers, religion, sex and death.”

Emily Walsh, managing director of the Fine Art Society, said: “Our show begins in 1963 with a church interior which he painted while on a travelling scholarship to Italy after being awarded the Newbery Medal at Glasgow School of Art.