In 1954, Yves Klein made a decisive commitment to the world of art, shifting his focus from his earlier aspiration of becoming a judo professional. His singular dedication was directed towards exploring monochrome, seeking to emancipate color from the confines of lines, thereby revealing the Absolute. The renowned Klein Blue, patented as IKB (International Klein Blue), served as the conduit for his pursuit of immateriality. Throughout his artistic journey, Klein transcended the boundaries separating conceptual art, sculpture, painting, and performance. His work emanated a vital energy, not solely confined to his iconic use of blue but also evident in his Anthropometries, where gold served as a conduit to the sublime.
Born into a family where both parents were painters, Klein was largely self-taught. Between 1948 and 1954, he traveled extensively, exploring Italy, England, Ireland, Spain, and ultimately Japan. The monochromatic pieces, initially in various hues, debuted in 1955 at the Club des Solitaires in Paris, followed by another exhibition at the Colette Allendy Gallery the subsequent year. Two years later, in 1957, IKB was perfected, swiftly becoming the definitive and quintessential motif in the artist’s oeuvre until 1959. The display of the monochromatic works in Milan, Paris, Düsseldorf, and London propelled Yves le Monochrome to international prominence. During this period, Klein executed his first significant artistic gesture. In 1957, at the inaugural exhibition of Yves Klein: Propositions monochromes at the Iris Clert Gallery, 1001 blue balloons were released into Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
As an artist, Klein endeavored to transcend conventional notions of art by showcasing empty spaces and transforming his own declarations into pieces imbued with artistic significance. He engaged with urban public spaces, such as illuminating the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde and utilized the media by printing a newspaper solely for Sunday, November 27th. The Cosmogonies and The Anthropometries, employing models as “living brushes,” exemplified Klein’s continual exploration of alternative avenues for artistic expression. The former emerged from the interaction between pigments and weathering on canvas, seeking to capture immediate impressions of these natural elements. In contrast, the latter, perhaps more widely recognized, involved bodies dipped in color and pressed onto canvas, leaving behind what Klein termed a “trace of life.”
The 1960s marked a period of innovation and accomplishment for Klein. In 1960, he signed the Manifesto of the Nouveaux Réalistes, positioning himself as a radical figure for the Zero Group, which aimed to transcend the subjectivism of informal art and the conventions of museum tradition. That same year, he exhibited at Galerie Rive Droite in Paris, Leo Castelli’s in New York, and Dawn Gallery in Los Angeles. Additionally, in 1961, the Museum Haus Lange in Krefeld hosted his first institutional retrospective while Klein embarked on experiments with Fire paintings. Visiting the Centre d’Essais du Gaz de France in Plaine-Saint-Denis, he created these spiritual works using a flamethrower, revealing the presence of absence.
Klein passed away suddenly at the age of thirty-four from a heart attack.
