James Lee Byars
1932 - 1997
A figure of outstanding importance in American art after World War II, James Lee Byars (Detroit, 1932 – Cairo, 1997) made nomadism between different media and countries the starting point for his aesthetic research. After studying art and philosophy, he moved to Kyoto in 1958, where he explored the rituals of Shinto and the Japanese Noh theater. Spirituality, slowness and the value attributed to the simplest gestures were all factors that would influence Byars’ work, merging it with the study of Western philosophy. Obsessed with perfection, the artist created a body of work characterized by attention to all that is ephemeral, hence precious: performance, sculptures, costumes made of fabric, books and drawings in ink: these are just some of the examples of his work, in which the pursuit of beauty was combined with the urge to aspire to absolute truth. In his public performances, created since the 1960s, individual action was transformed into a collective event, capable of placing the individual in a pervasive relationship with the community.