James Lee Byars, 5 Continent Documenta 7

Groningen, Corps de Garde, 1979. Multiple, 13.5 x 20 cm, consisting of a thin black paper sheet folded into an envelope. The front is post stamped and addressed in gilt handwriting to Gijs van Tuyl. Recto features the sender 'James Lee Byars, Corps de Garde Groningen', also in gilt lettering.

The envelope houses a large folded sheet of the same black paper, which unfolds to 216 x 124 cm, into the shape of a '7'. The multiple was meant as a protest against Documenta 7's Western-centric perspective and was mailed to a selective group of international art-world insiders. The gilt text has faded but is still legible, some creasing around folded areas, generally a good copy.