Yves Klein’s short-lived artistic career was entirely devoted to his quest for the spiritual dimension in life. The professional judoka was entirely self-taught. In the late 1940s, he made his first abstract works on paper and cardboard. Ten years later, he attracted attention with large monochrome canvases in his patented ‘Yves Klein Blue’ pigment. Klein loved to experiment and ‘painted’ with fire and water, amongst other materials. He created his ‘Anthropométries’ by using female nudes covered in paint as ‘brushes’. In addition, the artist also made sculptures and performances. In 1960, at Klein’s Paris home, the manifesto of the nouveaux réalistes was signed – amongst others – by Arman, César, Raymond Hains, Martial Raysse, Mimmo Rotella, Daniel Spoerri, Jean Tinguely, Jacques Villeglé and Klein himself.
