James Lee Byars: ½ an Autobiography

Famous for his performances The Death of James Lee Byars and The Perfect Smile, and for sculptural works that have been described as austere and rococo, understated and flamboyant, James Lee Byars (1932-1997) was a legend in his lifetime and an enduringly influential artist since his death at the age of 65. His preferred materials were characterized by strong colors–black, red, gold, pink–and by a sensuous luxuriance, as in his use of folded Japanese paper or silk. This second volume of the two-volume catalogue accompanying the first major posthumous survey on Byars in the US constitutes the catalogue proper (the first volume being conceived as a sourcebook), and includes images of works well beyond the scope of the show. Through a selection of more than 125 sculptures, costumes, performable paper works, films, ink paintings, correspondence, ephemera, live performances and documents, the catalogue represents the full scope of the artist’s work. It focuses on the ephemeral and intangible nature of much of Byars’ art, and features several critical texts, including curatorial texts by Peter Eleey and Magali Arriola; an essay on Byars’ early performances by Ana Janevski from the Department of Media and Performance at MoMA; an essay focusing on his costume and performable fabric works by art historian, Pan Wendt; and curator Shinobu Sakagami on Byars’ time in Japan.