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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).

Lot images as published by each auction house (91 lots with an image). Images from houses that reserve their photographs are shown as small thumbnails linking to the house’s site.

James Lee Byars, No Basel Today, 1981, Gouache and grease pencil on paper with gold glitter — No Basel Today, 1981
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025
CHF 600Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Gold Peak of Kunsthalle Bern, 1978, Flexible dimensions — Gold Peak of Kunsthalle Bern, 1978
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025
CHF 1,100Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Home, 1980, Gold paper, folded several times, inscribed in pencil and with 7 shells in ascending size — Home, 1980
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025
CHF 2,200Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Key of Venice, Circa 1981/1982 — Key of Venice
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025
CHF 1,900Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Beuys Makes Documenta 8, 1983 — Beuys Makes Documenta 8, 1983
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025
CHF 700Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Selfportrait, 1986, White bread shaped into a ball, laid on silk cloth, placed in a frame of light blue Murano glass — Selfportrait, 1986
Kornfeld · Sep 9, 2025
CHF 2,200Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, 24hrs of Byars at Bellamy, 1957, Seidenpapier, gefaltet und geklebt — 24hrs of Byars at Bellamy, 1957
Van Ham · Oct 1, 2024
€1,584Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Money-Object 1/1979 (Black Pocket). - Money Object 2/1979, 1979, 30 tens of notes bundled and wrapped with pink angora thread in a circular bag made of black paper. - — Money-Object 1/1979 (Black Pocket). - Money Object 2/1979, 1979
Kornfeld · Sep 10, 2024
CHF 1,600Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Off to the Mnt's, Summer 1981 — Off to the Mnt's
Kornfeld · Sep 10, 2024
CHF 700Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Mexican Gold (Money-Object 1977), 1977, 25 small Mexican gold coins bundled in a black silk cloth — Mexican Gold (Money-Object 1977), 1977
Kornfeld · Sep 10, 2024
CHF 1,800Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Four Black Pearls, 1978, 4 black beads in small original jewellery box — Four Black Pearls, 1978
Kornfeld · Sep 10, 2024
CHF 800Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, The Introduction of the Sages to the Alps, 1984, 3 gold-plated steel balls, printed all round, wrapped in tissue paper, in plastic box — The Introduction of the Sages to the Alps, 1984
Kornfeld · Sep 10, 2024
CHF 650Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Planet Sign, Hammer price — Planet Sign
Kornfeld · Jun 16, 2023
CHF 70,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Diamond Dust, 1978, Circle of black tissue paper, folded several times, a touch of diamond dust in the centre — Diamond Dust, 1978
Kornfeld · Jun 15, 2023
CHF 5,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Goldflügel, Circa 1986 — Goldflügel
Kornfeld · Jun 15, 2023
CHF 7,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, The Signature of the Artist, 1981, Circular glass pane, coloured black on one side — The Signature of the Artist, 1981
Kornfeld · Jun 15, 2023
CHF 20,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, The Black Giant with Ruby Glasses, 1981 — The Black Giant with Ruby Glasses, 1981
Kornfeld · Jun 15, 2023
CHF 16,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Ohne Titel, Around 1981, Collage of various inscribed and signed papers — Ohne Titel, Around 1981
Kornfeld · Jun 2, 2023
CHF 2,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Some Ephemera, Around 1980, Collage of various small items — Some Ephemera, Around 1980
Kornfeld · Jun 2, 2023
CHF 700Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, I Make the Moon, Cardboard with gold spray — I Make the Moon
Kornfeld · Jun 2, 2023
CHF 700Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, TH FI TO IN PH, Around 1977 — TH FI TO IN PH
Kornfeld · Jun 2, 2023
CHF 3,300Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Untitled (Money Object), 1978, 3 1-hundred notes crumpled together, wrapped in a 50 note and rolled into a ball — Untitled (Money Object), 1978
Kornfeld · Jun 2, 2023
CHF 1,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, I do nothing, Around 1980 — I do nothing
Kornfeld · Jun 2, 2023
CHF 700Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, May We Invite You?, 1982, Monogrammed "JLBB" in the context of the invitation — May We Invite You?, 1982
Kornfeld · Jun 2, 2023
CHF 700Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, TH FI TO IN PH (Mönchengladbach), 1977, Golden cardboard box with crinkled black tissue paper, with a text by J. Cladders printed in the centre of the bottom of the cassette — TH FI TO IN PH (Mönchengladbach), 1977
Kornfeld · Jun 2, 2023
CHF 260Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Gold Dust is my Ex Libris, 1983, Object made from paper pages — Gold Dust is my Ex Libris, 1983
Kornfeld · Jun 2, 2023
CHF 600Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, L. To do one perfect thing, ..., Around 1993, White pencil on black tissue paper — L. To do one perfect thing, ..., Around 1993
Kornfeld · Jun 3, 2022
CHF 2,400Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Compositie, 1985–1987, graphite and gold leaf on red paper, in artist's frame — Compositie, 1985–1987
Phillips · May 19, 2022
$8,190Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, The 5 Continent Documenta 7, 1979, Black tissue paper with gold lettering, folded — The 5 Continent Documenta 7, 1979
Kornfeld · Sep 16, 2021
CHF 5,500Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Perfect Whisper, 1978, Letter in pencil on 8 sheets and 1 envelope — Perfect Whisper, 1978
Kornfeld · Sep 3, 2021
CHF 2,200Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Luck, 1975, Collage with a US Liberty coin on black tissue paper — Luck, 1975
Kornfeld · Sep 3, 2021
CHF 3,500Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, letter mailed to Tommy Longo, c. 1975, handwritten text on yellow self-enveloping paper — letter mailed to Tommy Longo, c. 1975
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$2,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, letter mailed to Tommy Longo, 1975, handwritten text on black tissue paper, handwritten text on black envelope — letter mailed to Tommy Longo, 1975
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$2,250Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, collection of four postcards mailed to Tommy Longo, 1971-73, ink on offset color lithograph — collection of four postcards mailed to Tommy Longo, 1971-73
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$1,250Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, text on metallic gold paper, c. 1975, handwritten text on reflective gold origami paper — text on metallic gold paper, c. 1975
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$1,625Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, collection of three items, c. 1975, silk, printed paper, slide negative — collection of three items, c. 1975
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$438Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, collection of three announcements and envelope, ink on printed and embossed paper — collection of three announcements and envelope
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$195Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, 100 Questions, c. 1975, printed paper, gelatin silver print — 100 Questions, c. 1975
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$715Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, collection of four performance announcements and ephemera, printed paper, ink on paper, collage — collection of four performance announcements and ephemera
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$195Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, text on vellum, c. 1975, ink on vellum — text on vellum, c. 1975
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$688Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, letter mailed to Tommy Longo, 1976, ink on paper, printed paper — letter mailed to Tommy Longo, 1976
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$195Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, cut paper strip mailed to Tommy Longo, c. 1975, printed paper, collage — cut paper strip mailed to Tommy Longo, c. 1975
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$157Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, red paper cutout mailed to Tommy Longo, 1972, pencil on colored paper, hand-cut colored paper — red paper cutout mailed to Tommy Longo, 1972
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$293Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, bookmark (Bamboo, Chinese woodcut, The Metropolitan Museum of Art), c. 1975, handwritten text on bookmark — bookmark (Bamboo, Chinese woodcut, The Metropolitan Museum of Art), c. 1975
Wright · Jul 18, 2019
$125Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, PIITL (Perfect is in the Louvre), 1990, ink on cardboard — PIITL (Perfect is in the Louvre), 1990
Wright · Sep 27, 2018
$5,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Penis Letter to Jon Thompson, 1985, gold pencil and watercolour on Japanese paper — Penis Letter to Jon Thompson, 1985
Phillips · Jun 26, 2018
£10,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, TSOL, 1986, gold pen on coloured paper — TSOL, 1986
Phillips · Mar 9, 2018
£10,000Sign up free to see

James Lee Byars, Untitled, c. 1980, gold pencil on paper — Untitled, c. 1980
Wright · Jan 18, 2018
$9,375Sign up free to see

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