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)

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

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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).

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91 results · page 2 of 3

letter mailed to Tommy Longo, 1976
Drawing · Paper
4½ h x 6½ w in (11 x 17 cm)
Wright · Jul 18, 2019 · Lot 486
$195≈ £156≈ €174Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $300–View at Wright ↗
cut paper strip mailed to Tommy Longo, c. 1975
Print (other) · Paper
11 h x 8½ w in (28 x 22 cm)
Wright · Jul 18, 2019 · Lot 487
$157≈ £126≈ €140Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $200–View at Wright ↗
red paper cutout mailed to Tommy Longo, 1972
Drawing · Paper
11½ h x 4½ w in (29 x 11 cm)
Wright · Jul 18, 2019 · Lot 488
$293≈ £235≈ €261Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $300–View at Wright ↗
bookmark (Bamboo, Chinese woodcut, The Metropolitan Museum of Art), c. 1975
handwritten text on bookmark
8 h x 2¼ w in (20 x 6 cm)
Wright · Jul 18, 2019 · Lot 489
$125≈ £100≈ €111Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $300–View at Wright ↗
PIITL (Perfect is in the Louvre), 1990
Drawing · Board
12½ h x 22 w in (32 x 56 cm)
Wright · Sep 27, 2018 · Lot 119
$5,000≈ £3,800≈ €4,271Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $5,000–View at Wright ↗
Penis Letter to Jon Thompson, 1985
Watercolor · Paper
107 x 38.3 cm (42 1/8 x 15 1/8 in.)
Phillips · Jun 26, 2018 · Lot 146
£10,000≈ $13,240≈ €11,343Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £8,000–12,000View at Phillips ↗
TSOL, 1986
gold pen on coloured paper · Paper
104.4 x 29 cm (41 1/8 x 11 3/8 in.)
Phillips · Mar 9, 2018 · Lot 140
£10,000≈ $13,827≈ €11,250Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £8,000–12,000View at Phillips ↗
Untitled, c. 1980
Drawing · Paper
25½ h x 19½ w in (65 x 50 cm)
Wright · Jan 18, 2018 · Lot 202
$9,375≈ £6,759≈ €7,662Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $3,000–View at Wright ↗
The Black Book, 1969
Lithograph · Paper
19¼ h x 14¼ w in (49 x 36 cm)
Wright · Jun 23, 2016 · Lot 136
$1,500≈ £1,009≈ €1,317Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–View at Wright ↗
Eros (The Moon), 1994
Drawing · Paper
overall 80 in. (203.2 cm)
Phillips · Nov 10, 2015 · Lot 123
$18,750≈ £12,401≈ €17,505Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $20,000–30,000View at Phillips ↗

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)

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.

James Lee Byars

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About James Lee Byars

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