Yves Klein blue monochrome painting sells for $21M

A monumental 14-foot-wide blue monochrome painting by French artist Yves Klein sold for €18.4 million ($21.4 million) at Christie's Paris on Thursday, establishing a new auction record for the artist in France. The work, titled "California (IKB 71)," represents the largest monochrome painting by Klein in private hands and demonstrates the enduring power of his revolutionary approach to color.

Historic Sale Captivates Art World

The painting's sale at Christie's "Avant-Garde(s) Including Thinking Italian" auction exceeded its pre-sale estimate range of €16-25 million ($18.5-29 million). The four-meter-wide canvas, created in 1961 using Klein's signature International Klein Blue (IKB), exemplifies the artist's radical vision of transforming pure color into an independent object of contemplation.yahoo+1

"Anyone who gazes into the vast and extraordinarily rich surface of California, (IKB 71) experiences the sublime," said Paul Nyzam, Head of Post-War & Contemporary Art at Christie's France. The work's textured surface, covered with small stones that create a seabed-like texture, invites viewers to immerse themselves in what Klein called "the pure energy of color" without figures or narratives.unn+3

Journey from California to Record Sale

The painting's provenance adds layers to its significance. Created shortly before Klein's first and only trip to the United States, the work was named after the state where it was initially believed to have been exhibited. Recent research by Christie's and the Yves Klein Foundation revealed that the painting actually made its debut at Leo Castelli's New York gallery before arriving at Virginia Dwan's Los Angeles gallery in 1961.artnews+2

California (IKB 71) had remained in the same New York collection since 2005, when it was purchased through Pace Gallery. The work was previously on extended loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 2005 to 2008, marking its last public display before this week's auction.artnews+2

Klein, who died tragically at age 34 in 1962, created International Klein Blue by mixing ultramarine pigment with synthetic resin, a formula he patented to preserve the color's intensity and luminosity. His previous auction record was set in 2013 when a sculpture of blue sponges sold for $22 million at Sotheby's in New York.unn+1