For artist James Lee Byars, the pursuit of perfection is the driving force behind his performances and artistic manifestations. Byars carefully selected materials such as gold and marble for their intended physical radiance associated with the sacred and holy. Towards the end of his life marble from the Greek Island of Thassos served to be of great inspiration for Byars who conceived serene sculptures from the perfectly sublime medium. Perfection for Byars rests not in one material but in the unattainable moment of perfection. His sculptures have been described as “ancient relics from collapsed civilizations meant to inspire some sense of material and perfection, the meeting of reality and ideal in beauty, the realization of such making a suffering life more subtly endurable, the highest crafts of an inspired people.”(A. Berandini, “The Perfect Love Letter To James Lee Byars,” Mousse, June 2013)The present lot, Eros, 1992 has been titled after the Greek god of love who was historically depicted in Grecian marble. Love, a similarly unattainable state of perfection, is illustrated in Greek mythology by the constant struggle for trust between Eros and Psyche, the Greek god of the soul. The present lot consists of two pieces of Thassos marble, stacked upon each other in astounding balance and symmetry. The immaculate monochrome sculpture acts almost as a reflective mirror akin to Byar’s other sculptural materials of luxurious tactility including gold lame and silk. Eros stands as a stunning example of Byar’s carefully crafted forms, standing on the cusp of perfection within his sculptural repertoire.