P.I.I.T.L. [Perfect is in the Louvre]
James Lee Byars
1990
P.I.I.T.L. [Perfect is in the Louvre]
P.I.I.T.L. [Perfect is in the Louvre]
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Shortly after completing his studies in art and philosophy at the Wayne State University in Detroit, James Lee Byars moved to Kyoto in 1958, settling near the Temple of the Golden Pavilion for nearly a ...
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P.I.I.T.L. [Perfect is in the Louvre]
James Lee Byars
1990
Florence: Maurizio Nannucci, Zona Archives, Exempla and Exit Editions
Unpaginated [4 pages]
21 × 14.5 cm
Edition of 1,000

Shortly after completing his studies in art and philosophy at the Wayne State University in Detroit, James Lee Byars moved to Kyoto in 1958, settling near the Temple of the Golden Pavilion for nearly a decade. Influenced by Japanese Buddhism, Shinto rituals, and Noh theatre, Byars crystallized an artistic practice that combined conceptual minimalism with contemplative disciplines. During this period, he became fascinated by Japanese paper, an interest that later materialized in works such as “The Mile-Long Paper Walk” (1965) and “The Accordion Scroll / The Perfect Painting” (1961), a 360 cm-long, 30 cm-wide band of folded paper. His paper constructions, often rolled, folded, or otherwise transformed, continued to evolve throughout his entire career.


 


Conceived as both a conceptual artwork and an artist’s publication, P.I.I.T.L. (Perfect Is in the Louvre) is connected to Byars’s live actions, including his “Apparition-Disparition” performance near the Louvre in Paris, during which he handed this folded publication directly to the audience. Perfection, particularly the word “perfect”, is a recurring theme in Byars’s work. He developed it into a personal and poetic inquiry, exploring the relationships between language and precious materials.


 


Issued as a folded printed multiple on thick Tintoretto Fedrigoni paper and set in Bodoni type, the work emulates the format and graphic style of Éditions de la NRF (Nouvelle Revue Française), published by Gallimard since 1911. Not only it pays a tribute to Gallimard, but also reifies Byars’s own practice, bringing together the institutional aura of the Louvre with the material language of the historical publishing house.


 


James Lee Byars’s fascination with folds and folded paper can be distilled in the phrase “This paper has undone me,” a famous line spoken by Cardinal Wolsey in William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII (Act III, Scene II), which Byars later adopted in his interviews and conversations.

Florence: Maurizio Nannucci, Zona Archives, Exempla and Exit Editions
Unpaginated [4 pages]
21 × 14.5 cm
Edition of 1,000

Shortly after completing his studies in art and philosophy at the Wayne State University in Detroit, James Lee Byars moved to Kyoto in 1958, settling near the Temple of the Golden Pavilion for nearly a decade. Influenced by Japanese Buddhism, Shinto rituals, and Noh theatre, Byars crystallized an artistic practice that combined conceptual minimalism with contemplative disciplines. During this period, he became fascinated by Japanese paper, an interest that later materialized in works such as “The Mile-Long Paper Walk” (1965) and “The Accordion Scroll / The Perfect Painting” (1961), a 360 cm-long, 30 cm-wide band of folded paper. His paper constructions, often rolled, folded, or otherwise transformed, continued to evolve throughout his entire career.

 

Conceived as both a conceptual artwork and an artist’s publication, P.I.I.T.L. (Perfect Is in the Louvre) is connected to Byars’s live actions, including his “Apparition-Disparition” performance near the Louvre in Paris, during which he handed this folded publication directly to the audience. Perfection, particularly the word “perfect”, is a recurring theme in Byars’s work. He developed it into a personal and poetic inquiry, exploring the relationships between language and precious materials.

 

Issued as a folded printed multiple on thick Tintoretto Fedrigoni paper and set in Bodoni type, the work emulates the format and graphic style of Éditions de la NRF (Nouvelle Revue Française), published by Gallimard since 1911. Not only it pays a tribute to Gallimard, but also reifies Byars’s own practice, bringing together the institutional aura of the Louvre with the material language of the historical publishing house.

 

James Lee Byars’s fascination with folds and folded paper can be distilled in the phrase “This paper has undone me,” a famous line spoken by Cardinal Wolsey in William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII (Act III, Scene II), which Byars later adopted in his interviews and conversations.

DESCRIPTION

Shortly after completing his studies in art and philosophy at the Wayne State University in Detroit, James Lee Byars moved to Kyoto in 1958, settling near the Temple of the Golden Pavilion for nearly a decade. Influenced by Japanese Buddhism, Shinto rituals, and Noh theatre, Byars crystallized an artistic practice that combined conceptual minimalism with contemplative disciplines. During this period, he became fascinated by Japanese paper, an interest that later materialized in works such as “The Mile-Long Paper Walk” (1965) and “The Accordion Scroll / The Perfect Painting” (1961), a 360 cm-long, 30 cm-wide band of folded paper. His paper constructions, often rolled, folded, or otherwise transformed, continued to evolve throughout his entire career.

 

Conceived as both a conceptual artwork and an artist’s publication, P.I.I.T.L. (Perfect Is in the Louvre) is connected to Byars’s live actions, including his “Apparition-Disparition” performance near the Louvre in Paris, during which he handed this folded publication directly to the audience. Perfection, particularly the word “perfect”, is a recurring theme in Byars’s work. He developed it into a personal and poetic inquiry, exploring the relationships between language and precious materials.

 

Issued as a folded printed multiple on thick Tintoretto Fedrigoni paper and set in Bodoni type, the work emulates the format and graphic style of Éditions de la NRF (Nouvelle Revue Française), published by Gallimard since 1911. Not only it pays a tribute to Gallimard, but also reifies Byars’s own practice, bringing together the institutional aura of the Louvre with the material language of the historical publishing house.

 

James Lee Byars’s fascination with folds and folded paper can be distilled in the phrase “This paper has undone me,” a famous line spoken by Cardinal Wolsey in William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII (Act III, Scene II), which Byars later adopted in his interviews and conversations.

Florence: Maurizio Nannucci, Zona Archives, Exempla and Exit Editions
Unpaginated [4 pages]
21 × 14.5 cm
Edition of 1,000

Shortly after completing his studies in art and philosophy at the Wayne State University in Detroit, James Lee Byars moved to Kyoto in 1958, settling near the Temple of the Golden Pavilion for nearly a decade. Influenced by Japanese Buddhism, Shinto rituals, and Noh theatre, Byars crystallized an artistic practice that combined conceptual minimalism with contemplative disciplines. During this period, he became fascinated by Japanese paper, an interest that later materialized in works such as “The Mile-Long Paper Walk” (1965) and “The Accordion Scroll / The Perfect Painting” (1961), a 360 cm-long, 30 cm-wide band of folded paper. His paper constructions, often rolled, folded, or otherwise transformed, continued to evolve throughout his entire career.

 

Conceived as both a conceptual artwork and an artist’s publication, P.I.I.T.L. (Perfect Is in the Louvre) is connected to Byars’s live actions, including his “Apparition-Disparition” performance near the Louvre in Paris, during which he handed this folded publication directly to the audience. Perfection, particularly the word “perfect”, is a recurring theme in Byars’s work. He developed it into a personal and poetic inquiry, exploring the relationships between language and precious materials.

 

Issued as a folded printed multiple on thick Tintoretto Fedrigoni paper and set in Bodoni type, the work emulates the format and graphic style of Éditions de la NRF (Nouvelle Revue Française), published by Gallimard since 1911. Not only it pays a tribute to Gallimard, but also reifies Byars’s own practice, bringing together the institutional aura of the Louvre with the material language of the historical publishing house.

 

James Lee Byars’s fascination with folds and folded paper can be distilled in the phrase “This paper has undone me,” a famous line spoken by Cardinal Wolsey in William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII (Act III, Scene II), which Byars later adopted in his interviews and conversations.

MORE BOOKS

Shortly after completing his studies in art and philosophy at the Wayne State University in Detroit, James Lee Byars moved to Kyoto in 1958, settling near the Temple of the Golden Pavilion for nearly a decade. Influenced by Japanese Buddhism, Shinto rituals, and Noh theatre, Byars crystallized an artistic practice that combined conceptual minimalism with contemplative disciplines. During this period, he became fascinated by Japanese paper, an interest that later materialized in works such as “The Mile-Long Paper Walk” (1965) and “The Accordion Scroll / The Perfect Painting” (1961), a 360 cm-long, 30 cm-wide band of folded paper. His paper constructions, often rolled, folded, or otherwise transformed, continued to evolve throughout his entire career.

 

Conceived as both a conceptual artwork and an artist’s publication, P.I.I.T.L. (Perfect Is in the Louvre) is connected to Byars’s live actions, including his “Apparition-Disparition” performance near the Louvre in Paris, during which he handed this folded publication directly to the audience. Perfection, particularly the word “perfect”, is a recurring theme in Byars’s work. He developed it into a personal and poetic inquiry, exploring the relationships between language and precious materials.

 

Issued as a folded printed multiple on thick Tintoretto Fedrigoni paper and set in Bodoni type, the work emulates the format and graphic style of Éditions de la NRF (Nouvelle Revue Française), published by Gallimard since 1911. Not only it pays a tribute to Gallimard, but also reifies Byars’s own practice, bringing together the institutional aura of the Louvre with the material language of the historical publishing house.

 

James Lee Byars’s fascination with folds and folded paper can be distilled in the phrase “This paper has undone me,” a famous line spoken by Cardinal Wolsey in William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII (Act III, Scene II), which Byars later adopted in his interviews and conversations.

MORE BOOKS