Yves Klein

Yves Klein (French, 1928-1962) was a pivotal figure in both American and European post-War art. Klein was not only a founding member of French Nouveau Realism, the precursor to American Pop Art, but is credited with being the father of “Happenings” and other performance-based arts. His signature color, the deep, luminous, powdery blue seen on Venus Bleue, is a color the artist associated with awakening one’s spiritual energy. In homage to him, the color is often referred to as “International Klein Blue.” Klein’s work is found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, the Menil Collection, Houston, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Moderna Museet in Stockholm.