1959
Mixed Media, Pigment, Syntheitc Resin, Paper and Panel
21.7 x 18 cm
Signed on the reverse: Yves in English, dated 1959 with the following inscription "This picture is an original from Yves Klein 1979.10.21 Rotraut Klein Moquay" in German
Estimate TWD 9,000,000-13,000,000
USD 321,400-464,300
HKD 0-0
Hammer Price TWD 8,400,000
USD 302,376
HKD 2,400,000
Provenance：1. Galerie Iris Clert, Paris 2. Galerie Jacques Tronche, Paris 3. Collection James Wise, Tourrettes sur Loup, France 4. Acquired by Galerie Blu, Milan in 1969 5. Galerie Hans-Jurgen Muller, Colog
Illustrated： Galerie Motte, Geneva 3rd sale, 29. 6. 1969
Exhibition：
Exposition：
“The power of a single blue painting to stay in ones imagination for ones lifetime, that’s quite something. There are not many things that leave such a vivid impression. Once you see an Yves Klein painting, you’ll never forget it.” --- Michael Craig-Martin
Yves Klein was born in 1928 in Nice of French Riviera. He swept the 1960s art scene by a violent blue whirlwind by challenging the mainstream artistic representation of the time. The artist used blue as the vehicle for his quest to capture immateriality and the infinite. His renowned blue engage not only the eyes but allow us to see with our souls, to read with our imaginations.
In April of 1960, French art critic and cultural philosopher Pierre Restany (1930-2003) coined the term Nouveau Realism with Yves Klein during a group show. Their work was an attempt as reassessing the concept of art and the artist in context of 20th-century consumer society. Pierre proclaimed it to be “a new way to perceived the real.” Collectively, the group of artists strip art of previously thought standards that art had to mean something, to take it further, they could take any object beyond its preconceived notions and present it as itself, and thought it could still be considered art.
In 1948, at the time of social, economic, and political changes, as well as the rise of modern material civilization and commodity culture, artists Arman, Claud Pascal and Yves Klein initiated The School of Nice also known as New Realism. A movement without rules, except for the simple aim of creating a unique, anti-academic, free of medium and thought kind of art. They started the movement in Nice, brought it to Paris and all around the world. Yves Klein was one of the most important representative of this movement.
Yves Klein fell in love with blue. He famously declared the blue sky to be his first artwork and from there continued finding radical new ways to represent the infinite and immaterial in his works. Klein saw monochrome painting as an “open window to freedom, as the possibility of being immersed in the immeasurable existence of color”
In 1956, with the help of chemist, Klein developed a bluer-than blue hue, he then claimed and trademarked the shade of pure ultramarine blue as “International Klein Blue.” Yves Klein introduced his IKB monochrome paintings at the Museo del Novecento in Milan, where Italian artist Lucio Fontana was one of the first to purchase his monochromes. Yves Klein then continued to establish his international reputation by showcasing his art in Spain, Italy, Germany and England. These shows were well received and brought his fame to new height. He became the most influential, avant-garde artist of his time.
Yves Klein was not only a pioneer of conceptual art but also a ground-breaking exponent of performance art, minimalism, action painting. Klein’s work aims to evoke spiritual insight, and inspire beyond the conventional framework of art. His work has had a significant and lasting impact on contemporary art as well as the fashion world. In 2007 the fashion runway was dominated by an ultramarine storm, designers like Dior, Givenchy, Bruno Pieters and Alberta Erretti were all celebrating his signature blue in their shows. New York designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Donna Karen also incorporated his vibrant blue in their couture dresses, make-up and even accessories.
Along with Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp and Joseph Beuys, they are considered the four most significant artists of the 20th century. They each played a singular role in shaping a new avant-garde for the 1960s and beyond. In 2012, Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint) even published a commemorative coin in honoring the 50th anniversary of the death of artist Yves Klein. The silver coin featured the artist’s hand color in a striking blue, to honor his innovative achievements.
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