James Lee Byars: The Art of Writing

This exhibition includes a selection of letters written by artist James Lee Byars, who for over fifteen years engaged in an engrossing correspondence with MoMA curator Dorothy C. Miller. Written using manifold and diverse media, these letters reveal the artist's interest in materiality, and many ... Read more

This exhibition includes a selection of letters written by artist James Lee Byars, who for over fifteen years engaged in an engrossing correspondence with MoMA curator Dorothy C. Miller. Written using manifold and diverse media, these letters reveal the artist’s interest in materiality, and many of the documents also have a performative nature that evokes the element of time. Drawn from The Museum of Modern Art Archives, these writings function as an intimate sketchbook; they clearly delineate the artist’s ideas while making room for experimentation with materials√¢‚Ǩ‚Äùoften the same materials Byars used in his “mature,” fully executed works.