James Lee Byars

American · 1932–1997 · Sculptor, Draughtsman

James Lee Byars was an American conceptual artist and performance artist specializing in installations and sculptures, as well as a self-considered mystic. He was best known… (Wikipedia)

Email alerts for new results and upcoming sales

Own a work by James Lee Byars? Get a free auction estimate →

94lots offered2004–2025years recorded93%sold (85)$2.2kSign up free to seemedian price

Record prices

Show prices also in

The Figure of DeathPhillips · May 2015$761,000≈ £481,890≈ €666,433Sign up to see
ErosPhillips · May 2015$425,000≈ £269,124≈ €372,187Sign up to see
UntitledPhillips · May 2015$125,000≈ £79,572≈ €110,346Sign up to see

James Lee Byars’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

ArtSell has recorded 91 auction results for James Lee Byars between 2004 and 2025, of which 85 sold (93%). A further 3 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $125Sign up free to see to $761kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $761kSign up free to see for The Figure of Death at Phillips in May 2015. The most common medium is drawings (20 lots). Most results come from Kornfeld (29), Wright (18) and Bonhams (16).

All filters

Longest side– Editioned With imagesReset

91 results · page 1 of 3

No Basel Today, 1981
Gouache · Paper
39.5 x 22 cm
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025 · Lot 1082
CHF 600≈ $755≈ £557≈ €643HammerSign up free to seeEst. CHF 800–View at Kornfeld ↗
Gold Peak of Kunsthalle Bern, 1978
Flexible dimensions
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025 · Lot 1084
CHF 1,100≈ $1,384≈ £1,021≈ €1,179HammerSign up free to seeEst. CHF 1,500–View at Kornfeld ↗
Home, 1980
Drawing · Paper
Paper 68 cm diameter; shells circa 5 cm diameter
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025 · Lot 1085
CHF 2,200≈ $2,769≈ £2,042≈ €2,358HammerSign up free to seeEst. CHF 1,500–View at Kornfeld ↗
Key of Venice
Circa 1981/1982
Tissue paper 70 x 33 cm; key 8 cm long
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025 · Lot 1086
CHF 1,900≈ $2,391≈ £1,764≈ €2,036HammerSign up free to seeEst. CHF 1,500–View at Kornfeld ↗
Beuys Makes Documenta 8, 1983
Appro x . 21 cm diameter
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025 · Lot 1087
CHF 700≈ $881≈ £650≈ €750HammerSign up free to seeEst. CHF 800–View at Kornfeld ↗
Selfportrait, 1986
White bread shaped into a ball, laid on silk cloth, placed in a frame of light blue Murano glass · Other support
11.5 x 12.3X2.3 cm
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025 · Lot 1088
CHF 2,200≈ $2,769≈ £2,042≈ €2,358HammerSign up free to seeEst. CHF 2,500–View at Kornfeld ↗
24hrs of Byars at Bellamy, 1957
Seidenpapier, gefaltet und geklebt · Paper
170 x 143 x Bezeichnung: Betitelt, bezeichnet und datiert auf dem Penis: 24 hRS ofByaRS atBellamy ... (unleserlich) 57
Van Ham · Oct 1, 2024 · Lot 85
€1,584≈ $1,756≈ £1,318Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €600–View at Van Ham ↗
Money-Object 1/1979 (Black Pocket). - Money Object 2/1979, 1979
Drawing · Paper
24.5 cm, bag diameter
Kornfeld · Sep 10, 2024 · Lot 1081
CHF 1,600≈ $1,888≈ £1,442≈ €1,711HammerSign up free to seeEst. CHF 2,000–View at Kornfeld ↗
Off to the Mnt's
Summer 1981
Appro x . 70 cm, diameter, circular ring 17 cm wide
Kornfeld · Sep 10, 2024 · Lot 1082
CHF 700≈ $826≈ £631≈ €749HammerSign up free to seeEst. CHF 1,000–View at Kornfeld ↗
Mexican Gold (Money-Object 1977), 1977
25 small Mexican gold coins bundled in a black silk cloth · Other support
Appro x . 5 x 5 x 4 cm, bundle
Kornfeld · Sep 10, 2024 · Lot 1084
CHF 1,800≈ $2,124≈ £1,622≈ €1,925HammerSign up free to seeEst. CHF 1,200–View at Kornfeld ↗

Also offered, result not published (3)

Lots by James Lee Byars that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

James Lee Byars works on paper (45)James Lee Byars watercolors (3)James Lee Byars drawings (20)James Lee Byars prints (19)James Lee Byars lithographs (13)James Lee Byars sculpture (3)

James Lee Byars: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by James Lee Byars at auction?

$761,000Sign up free to see, for The Figure of Death at Phillips (May 2015) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for James Lee Byars?

The median sale price is $2.2kSign up free to see across 85 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by James Lee Byars have sold at auction?

85 of 91 recorded lots sold between 2004 and 2025. 3 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell James Lee Byars?

Kornfeld, Wright and Bonhams account for the most recorded results. Kornfeld · Wright · Bonhams

About James Lee Byars

James Lee Byars 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.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.