Artist in Blue
The phrase “Yves Klein blue” has been buzzing around lately – and not because of the Australian rock band that took the name. It’s a rich, vibrant hue that French artist Yves Klein worked almost exclusively with in his early career – and it’s been all the rage in fashion lately.
It’s a triumphant, optimistic color and perfect for stepping out in as spring is sprung. I was even recently requested to vote on the color in a nail polish contest.
The colorful creations were not Klein’s only artistic achievements though. As a performance artist and provocateur he made people queue up for an empty room, dragged naked painted ladies around on canvases, and exchanged empty spaces for gold.
I am excited to have learned recently more about this enigmatic artist whose death was as unusual as his methods of creating art. Having appeared in Mondo Cane (another new-ish discovery for me), a precursor to shock value movies like Faces of Death, he suffered a heart attack during the premiere.
But what do you think?