Yves Klein
Yves Klein (1928 -1962) was a French conceptual artist best known for his blue monochrome paintings as well as his fearless approach to experimenting with new techniques of perceiving the...
Yves Klein (1928 -1962) was a French conceptual artist best known for his blue monochrome paintings as well as his fearless approach to experimenting with new techniques of perceiving the real in art. Klein believed color embodied the essence of a pure idea and appears throughout his work. His initial monochrome efforts on canvas varied in color until 1957 with his show Proposition Monochrome; Blue Epoch. Klein’s use of blue in this show was monumental and resulted in him patenting his own signature hue known as IKB or International Klein Blue. Along with the monochrome series, Klein’s use of sponges, the human body, fire, and gold in his paintings further demonstrated his commitment to experimentation. The artist abruptly died from a heart attack at the age of 34. He left behind a body of work groundbreaking on its own but also for the later development of Minimalism and performance art. Klein’s work currently resides in museums and galleries around the world such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. He has had many retrospective shows, including at the Musée Soulages, Rodez, France, and at the Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China, in 2019.