Yves Klein
1928-1962 · French · Nouveau Réalisme, Monochrome painting
Auction record: $36.72M
Le Rose du bleu (RE 22), 1960 · Christie's, London · Jun 27, 2012
Source: heni.com
Biography
Yves Klein, born in Nice in 1928 and dead at 34 in 1962, compressed a decisive body of work into about eight years. He patented International Klein Blue in 1960 and used it for monochromes, sponge reliefs, planetary reliefs and the Anthropometries, paintings made with the bodies of models. A founder of Nouveau Réalisme, he anticipated conceptual and performance art with works such as The Void and the sale of zones of immaterial pictorial sensibility. Because his career was so short, supply is limited and major IKB works rarely come to auction. When they do, they draw global bidding: his record of about 36.7 million dollars dates from 2012, and in October 2025 California (IKB 71) set a French auction record for the artist.
Recent auction results
| California (IKB 71)Christie's, Paris | $21.4M | Oct 23, 2025 | yachting-mag.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relief Planétaire Terre (Marseille, Aix) (RP 24), 1961Christie's, Paris | $1.82M | May 28, 2025 | heni.com |
Market
- Liquidity: Medium
Museums
- Centre Pompidou, Paris
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Tate, London
- MAMAC, Nice
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
Sources
- HENI News, Le Rose du bleu record
- Yachting Magazine, California (IKB 71) at Christie's Paris
- eNCA (AFP), Klein blue monochrome sells for $21m
- HENI News, Christie's Paris Helga and Edzard Reuter Collection
- FA Magazine, Klein painting sells for record $36.7m at Christie's
Follow the artists and receive alerts in the Unicorn Art Watch app.
Investing involves the risk of losing capital.
© Unicorn Private LLC · Unicorn Private Research