The Rest Is Silence: James Lee Byars
The most comprehensive Byars presentation ever undertaken in the U.S.
Spanning more than 40 years, and exhibited in six galleries in Chelsea, Midtown, and the Upper East Side,
the presentation is curated by
Klaus Ottmann.
(New York, April 20, 2006)-Perry Rubenstein Gallery is pleased to announce a collaborative survey of the career of James Lee Byars (1932–1997). In addition to being presented in Perry Rubenstein Gallery's three Chelsea spaces, The Rest Is Silence will also be exhibited at Mary Boone and Michael Werner galleries. This unique project filling six individual galleries will span more than forty years of artistic production, by one of the most influential artists of the second half of the twentieth century. This will be the largest and most comprehensive presentation of Byars's works in the United States providing a rare opportunity to view a unique selection of late, monumental-scale installations, and early paper and cloth objects. Opening on April 27, 28 and May 17, 2006, the exhibition is curated by independent curator and scholar Klaus Ottmann.
Born in Detroit Byars spent the formative years of his artistic career in Japan where he studied ceramics and papermaking, inspired by the elegance and economy of traditional Noh theater. It was during this time in the late 1950s to early 1960s that he came to value the ephemeral as an essential artistic quality and adopted the ceremonial as an enduring principle in his life and work. Byars's oeuvre remains difficult to categorize, even though it encompasses art, performance, theater, and Eastern philosophy. Extreme in its formal simplicity, the work reflects the artist's lifelong pursuit of the transient nature of beauty and perfection.
Among the highlights of Perry Rubenstein's exhibition will be Byars's The American Flag (1974) used in his short 8-mm movie and performance (534 W 24); The Sun (1990), consisting of 360 pieces of white marble; Self-Portrait (c. 1959), one of his earliest works made of painted wood and paper (527 W 23); and four gilded marble figures (526 W 24). Such works provide an overview of themes and materials central to Byars' work, an artistic legacy that remains an inspiration to new generations of artists today.
Galleries' Schedules:
Perry Rubenstein Gallery
527 West 23 Street
526 West 24 Street
534 West 24 Street
April 28 – June 24, 2006
Opening Reception Friday, April 28, 2006 6-8 pm
Mary Boone Gallery
541 West 24 Street 745 Fifth Avenue
April 28 – June 24 May 18 – June 24, 2006
Opening Reception Friday, April 28, 2006 6-8 pm
Michael Werner
4 East 77 Street
April 27 – June 24, 2006
Members of the press please contact:
Sara Fitzmaurice / Daniel Tanzilli
FITZ & CO
212-627-1455 x226
dan@fitzandco.com