JAMES LEE BYARS

James Lee Byars was born in Detroit in 1932. An early interest in sculpture and oriental art took him to Japan and the far East before returning to Europe and creating a strong body of work which might be regarded as “romantic minimalism”. By the 1970s he was regarded as one of the USA’s most important conceptual artists.

He was best known for a series of slight performance art actions (such as giving a brief smile to the world after emerging from a museum window) as well as very large and very small sculptural works. The use of paper (and particularly unusual papers) in editions and printed material was also a regular motif. Some of Byars’ works are just a few millimetres in size, others were the size of entire streets.

Byars also created unique letters for many of his friends and these constructions – often written in an unusual “starry” hand – are usually regarded as unique works by the artist on par with his sculptures. They are keenly collected.

Byars suddenly died in Cairo in 1997. His grave is a simple one – and its monument does not match the artist’s pure aesthetic – a final irony.

VENICE A PORTABLE READER. 1987. UNIQUE BOOK WITH STARRY WRITING.

NYC: Frontier Books, 1987 21 x 13.6cm, 242pp. Original wrappers. A book that contains texts about Venice where Byars purchased the book. Inside Byars has drawn a number of small motifs and texts over several pages. The first page has the text in red ink hand written by Byars: “JLB’s magic city – never entered never left/ I marry JLB in Venice a red gondola wedding full moon” And below in larger starry letting “ **** Gondalini/ rings for the sea” and “James Lee Byars Venice 1987” On the second page there are eight small sketches of geometric shapes (with stars) which might be sculptures and a large text “ The Blue Path” again in starry lettering. An unique work by the artist given as a gestural gift and showing his love of the Italian city. Slight wear to wrappers (predating Byars appropriation) else VG+.

THE GOLDEN BOOK. 1987.

Köln : Galerie Michael Werner, 1987 57 x 44cm, full colour folded exhibition poster with an image of a Byars sculpture – also mentions Chamberlain, Fischl, Lasker, Salle, Van Vilet. Fine.

BEAUTY GOES AVANTGARDE. 1987.

NYC: Michael Werner, 1987 30 x 21cm, unpaginated (44pp) plus card covers. Exhibition catalogue with ten b/w images of works (mostly in vitrines). VG.

THE BLACK PAPER ON ART. 1982. WITH ORIGINAL DRAWING BY BYARS.

Munster: Westfalischer Kunstverein, 1987 24cm dia, printed gold on black tissue with the title text in small lettering. Object multiple issued during the exhibition James Lee Byars at Westfälischen Kunstverein, Munster from 18 July - 26 September 1982. but this example is unique given that Byars has drawn a circle with a star in black ink below the golden text (hard to see but the photograph allows you look closely). One ink drop on the right of the paper has caused minor discolouration else VG. JOINT: A handwritten letter from the curator at Westfalischer Kunstverein to Herr Meir offering the work as a gift. Dated 29 August 1987.

BEAUTY GOES AVANTGARDE. 1987.

Köln : Galerie Michael Werner, 1987 57 x 44cm, b/w folded exhibition poster with an image of a Byars drawing (possibly of the title text but it is hard to read). Fine. JOINT WITH 10.5 x 10cm, (approx) fragment of the original printed mailing envelope from the gallery (address has been removed but printed portion remains). Both fine.

JAMES LEE BYARS. 1988.

NYC: Mary Boone/Michael Werner, 1988 18 x 12.5cm, 4pp announcement card for a solo show - one work The door of innocence from 1986 is shown in colour on the outside, internally gallery details printed in gold and black. VG+.

JAMES LEE BYARS.1988.

NYC: Kent Fine Art, 1988 14.5 x 10.5cm, 40pp plus card covers. Unprinted red dust jacket. Exhibition catalogue with five sculptural works illustrated in b/w and minimal text. Fine.

JAMES LEE BYARS TONY CRAGG DONALD JUDD RICHARD PAUL LOHSE LUIGI MAINOLFI KLAUS METTIG. 1988 .

Castello di Rivoli: Museo D'arte Contemporanea, 1988 10.5 x 15cm, 1pp typographic announcemnet card for a group show including Byars alongside Tony Cragg, Donald Judd. Richard Paul Lohse. Luigi Mainolfi and Klaus Mettig. Minorly grubby else VG+.

JAMES LEE BYARS TONY CRAGG DONALD JUDD RICHARD PAUL LOHSE LUIGO MAINOLFI KLAUS METTIG. 1988.

Castello di Rivoli: Mueo d'arte Contemporanea, 1988 10.5 x 15cm, 1pp. Typographic design announcement card for a group show which included Byars alongside Cragg, Judd, Lohse, Mainolfi and Mettic. Unmailed example - VG+.

THE PALACE OF GOOD LUCK. 1989.

Torino: Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, 1989 49.5 x 49.5cm black card with a 35.5 x 35.5cm, square text with a text by Byars. Small edition but not known. Fine.

J.-H. M. B. P. F. F. (JEAN HUBERT MARTIN BOUGHT FOR FRANCE). 1989.

Florence: Germain, 1989 21 x 14.5cm, 4pp. Self-cover. Artist’s book – with a poem by Herbert – the book is the first time Byars created a parody of (or homage to) the format and typographic style of the Nouvelle Revue Francaise Editions Gallimard. This was later to incur the wrath of the publishing house. One of 1,000 issued. Fine. Now scarce.

MONUMENT TO CLEOPATRA. 1989.

Rome: Cleto Polcina, 1989 26 x 24 cm folder which opens out to cross and gold inside cover. Inside, a red wrapper contains six loose folded sheets, varying from of four to eight pages, showing various works, a biography and a text ‘Gold is only the beginning of art: the art of painting’ by Achille Bonito Oliva. Fine.