ProvenioArt Intelligence
Sign InExplore
fifth french republicconcept:era modern

IKB 79

Dry pigment and synthetic resin on cardboard on wood by Yves Klein (1959). One of the best-known of Klein's International Klein Blue monochromes — an unbroken, intense ultramarine surface with the characteristic matte velvet texture produced by his proprietary binder. Tate Modern, London.

Scholarly Significance

Definitive IKB monochrome by Klein; anchor for Nouveau Réalisme and color-as-concept node; critical reception (hostile → canonical) tracks perfectly.

Notes

  • ·IKB (International Klein Blue) was formulated with the chemist Édouard Adam — pure ultramarine pigment bound in Rhodopas M60A synthetic resin instead of traditional linseed oil.
  • ·The synthetic binder preserves the pigment's inherent luminosity; oil would dull the blue.
  • ·Klein registered the color as a Soleau envelope in 1960 — a proprietary aesthetic claim, not a legal patent.
  • ·The 1957 'Propositions Monochromes' exhibition at Iris Clert, Paris: 11 identical IKB panels at different prices provoked the famous confusion.
  • ·Klein's monochromes were influential on Minimalism, particularly in their claim to painting as a physical presence.