James Lee Byars
The retrospective delves into the deeper aspects of the human experience investigated by the artist, blending mysticism, spirituality, and corporeality.
The Chair of Transformation (detail) (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
James Lee Byars (Detroit, 1932 – Cairo, 1997) was one of the most important figures of the twentieth-century art scene, whose daring and experimental works have had a fundamental influence on generations of artists.
"James Lee Byars" (2024) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
Byars’s actions—situations in which he engaged a diverse audience in urban, institutional or sacred settings—are regarded as legendary episodes in post-war art history.
The Moon Books (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
Byars had always been concerned with the human condition, its limits, and the notion of the end of existence, the cosmos, the philosophical doubt, the importance of question and the pursuit of perfection.
"James Lee Byars" (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
The exhibition is realized in collaboration with the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and with the support of The Estate of James Lee Byars.
The show, the first in Italy since his passing away, brings together a vast array of emblematic sculptural works and monumental installations realized between 1974 and 1997.
The Golden Tower (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
The Golden Tower (1990), a column of approximately 21 meters high covered in gold leaf, is the most imposing work ever created by James Lee Byars.
The Figure of Question is in the Room (detail) (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
The Figure of Question is in the Room (1986) reflects the artist’s study of the relationship between the concept of beauty and spoken language. The gold that covers the sculpture alludes to a spiritual dimension, while the verticality of the static marble block physically evokes the presence of bodies in space.
"James Lee Byars" (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
The Door of Innocence (1986–89) is also emblematic of the use of simple geometric figures that Byars charges with symbolic meanings.
"James Lee Byars" (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
In The Rose Table of Perfect (1989), a one-meter-diameter sphere made up of 3333 red roses, Byars makes reference to Kabbalistic numerology.
The use of this organic medium, with powerful allegorical meanings, is unique in Byars’s oeuvre, making the work one of the most singular examples of his pursuit of perfection.
Also The Tomb of James Lee Byars (1986), a polished sandstone sphere, evokes the artist’s quest for perfection and the absolute.
Byars metaphorically conceives his own “tomb” as a pure and complete element, whose form recalls that of celestial bodies.
Red Angel of Marseille (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
The exhibition ends with an iconic work: Red Angel of Marseille (1993). By contrast, the artist associates the simple symbolic form of the sphere with red, one of his favorite colors along with white, gold, and black, due to its strong expressive power.
A fragile, translucent material, glass is seen by Byars as an ideal medium with which to convey the transcendence of beauty.
"James Lee Byars" (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
Several international institutions have organized solo exhibitions by James Lee Byars, including Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing (2021); M HKA, Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (2018); MoMA PS1, New York (2014); Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2013);
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2011 and 1964); Kunstmuseum Bern (2008); MoMA Museum of Modern Art, New York (2007 and 1958); Barbican Centre, London (2005); Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams (2004);
The Diamond Floor (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
Museu Serralves, Porto (1997); Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Paris (1995); IVAM, Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, Valencia, Museum Ludwig, Cologne (1994); Stockholm Konsthall (1992); Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin (1989); Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (1986);
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (1984); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (1983); De Appel Foundation, Amsterdam (1978); Kunsthalle Bern, Busch-Reisinger Museum at Harvard, Cambridge (1978);
"James Lee Byars" (2023) by James Lee ByarsPirelli HangarBicocca
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek (1977); Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (1974); Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1971).
The artist has taken part in numerous group shows, including Venice Biennale (2013, 1999, 1986, 1980); Yokohama Triennale (2011); documenta, Kassel (1987, 1982, 1977, 1972).
