Yves Klein

French, 1928-1962

Lecteur I.K.B. 1960 (No. 1)

© Estate of Yves Klein / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

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© Estate of Yves Klein / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Estate of Yves Klein / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Lecteur I.K.B. 1960 (No. 1), 1960

Artwork Details

Materials

painted sponge on brass base

Measurements

overall: 40 1/2 x 12 x 5 1/2 inches (102.87 x 30.48 x 13.97 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1961

Accession ID

K1961:11.1

In the late 1950s, Yves Klein created a series of monochromatic paintings using a resilient and powdery ultramarine pigment. It was of great significance to him, symbolizing the physical manifestation of cosmic energy, and he patented the color under the name “International Klein Blue” (IKB). Klein subsequently applied it to a series of large sponges that, for him, served as a metaphor for art and the creative process. He either attached these to his canvases as relief elements or affixed them to wire stands as sculptures. In addition to blue, Klein also used particular hues of deep pink (IKP) and gold (IKG). Together, he believed these colors to be a holy trinity of equivalency, stating, “Blue, gold, and pink are of the same nature. Any exchange at the level of these three states is honest.”

Label from Giant Steps: Artists and the 1960s, June 30–December 30, 2018