Yves Klein French, 1928-1962
Untitled Blue Monochrome (IKB 150), c. 1959
Pigment and synthetic resin on paper mounted on board
21.6 x 17.8 cm. (8 1/2 x 7 in.)
Copyright The Artist
Further images
A philosophical expression of Yves Klein’s singular vision, Untitled Blue Monochrome (IKB 150) encapsulates the artist’s radical break from traditional pictorial representation and his pursuit of the immaterial. One of...
A philosophical expression of Yves Klein’s singular vision, Untitled Blue Monochrome (IKB 150) encapsulates the artist’s radical break from traditional pictorial representation and his pursuit of the immaterial. One of nearly two hundred and executed in 1959, this work belongs to Klein’s iconic series of monochromes rendered in his patented pigment, International Klein Blue (IKB), a colour he regarded not merely as a hue but as a vehicle for pure sensibility and boundless space.
The monochrome – liberated from form, narrative and illusionism – was, for Klein, both a spiritual exercise and a conceptual challenge to the conventions of painting. In IKB he found a chromatic field capable of evoking the infinite. He described it as “a Blue in itself, disengaged from all functional justification,” a formulation that underlines his ambition to transcend the material world and reach what he termed “the void”.
Klein began experimenting with monochromes in 1947, but it was a decade later that he perfected IKB: a deep, luminous ultramarine made with pure pigment suspended in a synthetic resin fixative. This unique medium allowed the pigment to retain its brilliance and depth, seemingly detached from the support and hovering in space. The present work demonstrates the refined surface quality typical of his later production – smooth, even, and rich in texture, suggesting the velvety tactility that defines his mature monochromes.
Like all works in this series, the present work was untitled by the artist and later assigned a number by his widow, Rotraut Klein-Moquay, as part of a catalogue initiative to document the extant blue monochromes. These numbers, ranging from IKB 1 to IKB 194, reflect the known body of work at the time of her cataloguing and do not correspond to the chronological order of execution. Additional examples identified since have continued this numerical convention.
Klein’s practice was shaped by his association with the Nouveau Réalistes and deeply influenced by the conceptual provocations of Marcel Duchamp. Yet his approach remained distinct: he sought not to replicate the real, but to reveal the invisible forces he believed surrounded and defined existence. In a pivotal 1957 exhibition in Milan, Klein presented eleven nearly identical blue monochromes, each priced differently to reflect its unique “aura”. This gesture underscored his belief in the singular essence of each painting, despite their apparent uniformity.
Untitled Blue Monochrome (IKB 150) stands as a testament to Klein’s uncompromising vision – an artwork that embodies the immaterial, offers a window onto the infinite, and continues to resonate with a quiet yet profound power.
The monochrome – liberated from form, narrative and illusionism – was, for Klein, both a spiritual exercise and a conceptual challenge to the conventions of painting. In IKB he found a chromatic field capable of evoking the infinite. He described it as “a Blue in itself, disengaged from all functional justification,” a formulation that underlines his ambition to transcend the material world and reach what he termed “the void”.
Klein began experimenting with monochromes in 1947, but it was a decade later that he perfected IKB: a deep, luminous ultramarine made with pure pigment suspended in a synthetic resin fixative. This unique medium allowed the pigment to retain its brilliance and depth, seemingly detached from the support and hovering in space. The present work demonstrates the refined surface quality typical of his later production – smooth, even, and rich in texture, suggesting the velvety tactility that defines his mature monochromes.
Like all works in this series, the present work was untitled by the artist and later assigned a number by his widow, Rotraut Klein-Moquay, as part of a catalogue initiative to document the extant blue monochromes. These numbers, ranging from IKB 1 to IKB 194, reflect the known body of work at the time of her cataloguing and do not correspond to the chronological order of execution. Additional examples identified since have continued this numerical convention.
Klein’s practice was shaped by his association with the Nouveau Réalistes and deeply influenced by the conceptual provocations of Marcel Duchamp. Yet his approach remained distinct: he sought not to replicate the real, but to reveal the invisible forces he believed surrounded and defined existence. In a pivotal 1957 exhibition in Milan, Klein presented eleven nearly identical blue monochromes, each priced differently to reflect its unique “aura”. This gesture underscored his belief in the singular essence of each painting, despite their apparent uniformity.
Untitled Blue Monochrome (IKB 150) stands as a testament to Klein’s uncompromising vision – an artwork that embodies the immaterial, offers a window onto the infinite, and continues to resonate with a quiet yet profound power.