James Lee Byars
1932–1997

Introduction

James Lee Byars (April 10, 1932 – May 23, 1997) was an American conceptual artist and performance artist specializing in installations and sculptures, as well as a self-considered mystic. He was best known for his use of personal esoteric motifs, and his creative persona that has been described as 'half dandified trickster and half minimalist seer'. Byars was born Detroit, Michigan, and died in Cairo, Egypt.

Byars' notable performance works include The Death of James Lee Byars and The Perfect Smile, and in terms of multiple sculptures, the many letters he wrote that were composed as decorated sculptures.

Wikidata identifier

Q882861

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Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License . Accessed December 12, 2024.

Country of birth

United States

Roles

Artist, conceptual artist, installation artist, performance artist, photographer, sculptor

ULAN identifier

500089748

Names

James Lee Byars, James Lee Byers

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Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed December 12, 2024.


On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

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