Anthony James gained international recognition in 2008 with Kalos Thanatos (KO), meaning "beautiful death" in Greek. For this bold work, James burned his Ferrari F335 Spyder in a birch forest, then encased the charred remains in a mirrored glass box among birch tree trunks. He drew inspiration from ancient Greek practices, where sacrifices were made to Aphrodite in birch forests.

Critic Glenn O’Brien praised Kalos Thanatos, remarking,“I miss art going out on a limb... Just a slim limb that looks like there’s at least some chance of it snapping... Anthony James burned his Ferrari and put it in a box, amid, actually, a bunch of limbs. That was going for it… this work is pretty gutsy... The car was a victim, a sacrifice old-school redux.”

Anthony James, KO Thanatos, Stainless steel, Specialized glass, LED, Birch, Ferrari F335 Spyder

Reflecting on his work, James noted, "You can’t really escape yourself. You’re always on the same thing. The artwork may present differently, but there is always an underlying signature theme. For me, everything is life / death / birth / rebirth somehow. It’s not an intention, but it all comes back to one source. Burning a Ferrari and stuff — it’s all instinctual. Now I look back at it and ‘beautiful death’ is more of a concept than a sentence. It’s bizarre. You can’t escape your own destiny, which is what the Iliad is about.”

HD Car Box Rendering

James creates a modern-day shrine that explores rebirth and transcendence by placing luxury cars within geometric, mirror-lined structures. The highly reflective, endless mirrored surfaces amplify the sacrificial imagery, alluding to ideas of eternity, destruction, and the allure of luxury. His ongoing work showcases a shift from purely static sculpture to immersive, contemplative installations that invite viewers to reflect on beauty and ephemerality in the context of both ancient and modern societies.