Yves Klein

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Yves Klein

by Ida Kar
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1957
Purchased, 1999
Photographs Collection
NPG x132962

Sitterback to top

  • Yves Klein (1928-1962), French artist. Sitter in 5 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Ida Kar (1908-1974), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 1567 portraits, Sitter in 137 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Kar photographed Klein next to his blue sponge sculpture at his first London show, titled Monochrome Propositions of Yves Klein, held at Gallery One. The exhibition provoked controversial reviews, including the Daily Mirror's piece headlined 'The Artist Who Paints Nothing.'

Linked publicationsback to top

  • Freestone, Clare (appreciation) Wright, Karen (appreciation), Ida Kar Bohemian Photographer, 2011 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 10 March to 19 June 2011), p. 81 Read entry

    Born in Nice, into a family of artists, Klein began to paint in the late 1940s. He lived in Japan from 1952 to 1953, where he became an expert at judo, which he later taught in Spain and Paris, his home from 1955. He is best known for his monochrome works and expressed his theories in several manifestos, stating in 1955: 'In this way I seek to individualize the colour, because I have come to believe that there is a living world of each colour and I express these worlds.' Klein's early monochromes were in orange, yellow, pink, red and green. From 1957 he worked mainly in blue, which he later patented as International Klein Blue. His exhibition Monochrome Propositions of Yves Klein, held at Gallery One in London in 1957 caused great controversy. The press ran stories with headlines such as 'The Artist who Paints Nothing' (Daily Mirror, 25 June 1957) 'An Artist with The Blues. Reductio Ad Absurdum' (The Times, 1957). Kar photographed Klein next to one of his 'blue sponge sculptures at Gallery One.

Placesback to top

Events of 1957back to top

Current affairs

Harold Macmillan takes over as Conservative prime minister, manoeuvring Eden out of power after his poor handling of the Suez Crisis the previous year.
The Wolfenden Report recommends that homosexuality should no longer be a criminal offence. It still took ten years, however, before any changes were made to the law on homosexuality with the Sexual Offences Act in 1967.

Art and science

The Today Programme is first broadcast on Radio 4. This early morning current affairs programme is known for breaking major stories early, and for its hard-hitting approach and tough interviewing style. Presenters have included: Robert Robinson, Brian Redhead, Libby Purves, Jenni Murray, Sue MacGregor, John Humphrys, Anna Ford and James Naughtie.

International

The Treaty of Rome leads to the formation of the European Economic Community. Officially beginning on 1st January 1958, the EEC established a European Common Market, where goods, services, labour and capital could move freely within the European member countries, and shared policies were agreed for labour, social welfare, agriculture, transport, and foreign trade. The EEC preceded the European Community, and the European Union.

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