What Actually Is Yves Klein Blue? A Short History of This Iconic Color, and How to Decorate With It
There is no other shade of blue with a history quite like it. International Klein Blue® (IKB®), started as a vision in the eyes of Yves Klein, a young color enthusiast, soon to become a groundbreaking artist. This striking and pigmented color is cemented in art history and is a firm color fixture in the interior design world, too. But what exactly is this color, and how do you decorate with blue in this vibrant shade.
To start with, we better answer the question: who was Yves Klein? Yves Klein was a French artist. Born in Nice, in 1928, Yves was fascinated with the blue skies and sea of his hometown on la Cote d’Azur since childhood. It’s the sky in particular that became his muse and canvas for creativity. “It’s as if he defined the sky like the biggest and the most beautiful of his works,” shares Dorothée Dujardin of the Yves Klein Archive in Paris. “To the point where he famously said the birds were ‘trying to make holes in the most beautiful and largest of his works,” in 1946, at the young age of 18.
Yves Klein in front of the work “Grande Anthropophagie bleue, Hommage à Tennessee Williams” (ANT 76), October – November 1960
(Image credit: © The Estate of Yves Klein c/o ADAGP, Paris / © Photo : Pierre Descargues)
“It’s really from that moment that he decided the sky would be his space, this infinite and immateriel space.” He was trying to capture what the naked eye could not, an invisible, spiritual beauty.
Yves Klein’s Art Of Liberating Color
The son of two artists: Marie Raymond and Fred Klein. Yves Klein’s mother was an abstract painter and his father, a figurative painter. With other French greats such as Pierre Soulages often around the home, Yves Klein was immersed in artistry from a young age, and his own work in a way, presented a third, complementary route to his parents’ expressions. It was in of its own.
Yves Klein described his works as “the ashes of his art”. Driven by the idea of “freeing color from the prison of line”, Yves Klein gradually became aware of the power of monochromatic painting from 1947 onwards. “For him, it was the only physical way of painting that made it possible to reach the spiritual absolute,” shares Dorothée. Yves Klein believed that every color had its own emotion and one of his earlier works in 1955 was in fact an orange monochrome. Expertly devoid of detail, the piece named “Expression de l’univers de la couleur mine orange” was rejected by the jury of the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles for precisely this reason.
The feedback to Yves Klein’s mother was that if only there had been a small line, a dot, or even a hint on another color, it might have reached the walls. In solidarity to his work and to perfect his gesture, Klein removed his signature from the piece.
Yves Klein’s Blue Period
Why was it blue that was Yves Klein’s color of choice, and why this rich ultramarine pigment that we now renowned around the world as IKB®? Following a series of different colored monochromes called “Yves Peintures” at the Club des solitaires in Paris that same year in 1955, it was in 1957 that Yves Klein began to radicalize his approach to the beauty, and concept of color alone and in of its own expression. Blue paint colors became his muse.
Naturally, Yves Klein drew inspiration from the skies of Nice but the artist was also fascinated at how blue is the most abstract of colors, rarely present in nature apart from in infinite spaces like the sky and sea. For Yves, blue was the color of space Dorothée tells me. It represented a window into the immaterial, towards an eternity.
Yves Klein, Untitled Blue Sponge Sculpture, (SE 165), 1959
(Image credit: © The Estate of Yves Klein c/o ADAGP, Paris)
Yves Klein’s blue period was punctuated with immersive exhibits of his work, including the iconic ultramarine sponge sculptures of 1958 and the pivotal performance of 1960, hosted at the Galerie Internationale d’Art Contemporain in Paris. Under Klein’s direction nude models painted in his blue performed enigmatic ballet movements before a large audience of artistic, collectors, and critics.
Developing International Klein Blue®
As for Yves Klein’s fascination with this rich ultramarine pigment, color dealer, chemist of Rhône-Poulain and friend of the artist, Edouard Adam recounted Yves Klein’s initial preference for both Prussian blue and ultramarine. Soon, Yves Klein chose an extremely saturated ultramarine, believing this to be the most “perfect expression of blue”, one with a unique depth that is luminescent, like a pure energetic color, symbolic of the grandeur of the cosmos.
At the time, paint was oil-based and creating a formula that did the pigment justice was no easy feat. Once Edouard found the synthetic binder that would create a unique concoction that successfully captured all of the pigment’s radiance as per Yves Klein’s vision, the artist patented the color as IKB® on 19 May 1960 and this is just the beginning of this blue’s powerful history in the art and now decorative space.
International Klein Blue® Enters The Design World
The famous blue table IKB® by Yves Klein.
(Image credit: © The Estate of Yves Klein c/o ADAGP, Paris)
For a shade of blue so unique and exalted through works of art that are nothing short of complex and thought provoking, how does this translate in the design world? The reality is that until now, it hadn’t really filtered through.
“Initially, IKB was mainly used in the context of art and performances rather than immediately in interior design,” say the Studio Tiptoe design team. “It was in the 1960s and 1970s that IKB made its way into the world of decoration and interior design, particularly with the rise of minimalist and monochrome interiors.”
Some may recall the Yves Klein table. The artist had created prototypes in Gelsenkirchen when he was alive. After his death, they were later made under the supervision of Rotraut Klein-Moquay. They have a plexiglass top encasing the pure IKB pigment, another with pink, the third with goldleaf – rare and beautiful finds for the avid collector. Designer Lucinda Loya notes how the “Table Bleue” creates an “illusion of infinite depth and boundlessness. Blurring the line between art and furniture, this striking piece transforms a conceptual color into a functional design statement and remains highly sought after by collectors today.”
Making the distinction between a true International Klein Blue® and inauthentic shades is of paramount importance to uphold the artist’s heritage. In recent years, the Yves Klein Archive has partnered with different brands in the realm of home decor, making this sought-after pigment accessible.
Studio Tiptoe is an official partner of the Yves Klein archive, and has crafted a collection to celebrate the artists ingenuity with color. “Through this collection, Studio Tiptoe aims to share its passion for a resolutely modern and dynamic vision of object design while celebrating the founding principles set by the great figures of 20th-century French art and design.”
Tiptoe x Klein Blue® table with ultramarine blue legs and wooden chairs
“IKB® is used to bring boldness to interiors,” adds the Tiptoe team. “This ultra-saturated, deep blue brings drama, intensity, and a modern edge to a home, while also evoking a sense of calm and depth. This Outremer blue adds a vibrant touch of color to Tiptoe’s palette, completing its collection with a range of monochrome products.”
Another exciting progression for bringing this blue into the world of interior design trends is Yves Klein Archive’s partnership with heritage French paint brand, Ressource Peintures. It called on Ressource in 2018 to develop its unique Yves Klein® shade, a paint inspired by the iconic IKB® pigment, found nowhere else. “Until that time, a shade of Yves Klein as a wall paint simply did not exist,” Annabelle Vermont, the artistic director of Ressource Peintures, tells Livingetc. “It was a first.”
Decorating With Yves Klein Blue Shades Today
Naturally, designers and color experts have exciting views on how they would want to incorporate International Klein Blue® into their projects. Here are three ways to invite a heavily pigmented ultramarine shade, reminiscent of the official IKB®, into your home.
1. Give It A Monochromatic Spotlight
This bedroom is painted in Ressource’s Yves Klein® Shade of blue
In a true monochromatic color scheme – one we hope Yves Klein would approve of – using such a shade of blue in abundance gives striking results. This is a powerful shade of blue and one that will create the ultimate color experience. If using paint, consider a color drench, coating all or most of the walls for impact. Annabelle recommends doing this in smaller more transitory space, too such as a hallway or small bathroom. Naturally, it comes down to your personal style preferences but choosing it as a spotlight color works marvellously as does having it on two walls rather than four.
“Such a powerful color as Yves Klein blue is entirely dominant in any scenario so it really becomes all encompassing,” adds architect and designer Bergendy Cooke “With that in mind everything that is added in regards to an interior in my opinion should not compete with such a potent player.”
2. Pair It With Neutrals And Consider Other Colors
The blue painted wall makes a strong contrast against the neutral tones in this space.
“Color is a powerful tool to create an instant ambience, mood and have the ability to give a unique personality to a room,” continues Bergendy. And it’s all about balance when introducing such a gloriously potent shade into your home.
As we can see, the Ressource Yves Klein® Shade interacts beautifully with whites and light neutrals. Annabelle also notes how it takes a new lease of life alongside some more surprising colors that go with blue. “I find it’s a color that goes really well with all shades of green and natural colors.”
3. Let It Be Beautifully Secondary
Use this vibrant blue as an accent to bring life to your scheme.
A Yves Klein-inspired shade of blue also works beautifully in smaller doses, to highlight design features and bring personality to a room. “In a library, for example, it allows you to enhance decorative objects like nice pottery, architecture or art books,” says Annabelle.
Lucinda also approves of this way with a shade this strong for a pop of pigment. “We incorporate it as an accessory in the form of a bowl or a lamp, as a finishing touch when styling a project,” says the designer. “We typically soften it slightly when applying it over large surfaces like walls or ceilings. Used thoughtfully, it adds richness and depth while maintaining a harmonious, liveable aesthetic.”
For a striking and expensive-looking blue finish that frames a space, use a deep pigmented ultramarine blue like the Yves Klein® Shade to enhance molding and beams. “If you have architectural features, it can be absolutely magnificent,” adds Annabelle.
Annabelle studied fashion followed by interior design, before progressing into scenography, screen printing and textile design. Annabelle soon joined the family business “Ressource” where she created the wallpaper manufacturing workshop. Passionate about patterns, she designed the first wallpaper collection called “Forestine”. Now as the Artistic Director of the Maison, Annabelle continues to develope the paint and wallpaper collections.
Iconic and timeless, it is no wonder we dream of having even a touch of IKB® in our homes.
