The Enigma of Yves Klein

While a peripheral figure to many - to a select few, he is the Patriarch and ultimate Godfather of the phenomenon known as 'Contemporary Art'. Klein, along with Duchamp - is perhaps the singluarly most inspiring figure in the art world, at least where direct influence on other artists is concerned. Klein's DNA can be found in an astounding number of works producted by the avant-garde since his time.

A contemporary of Mark Rothko's, though younger, he is generally considered the progenitor of Minimalism and Conceptual Art. In Klein's short life (he only lived to the age of 34), he singlehandedly managed to redefine the foundation on which the entire generation of the 1960s avant-garde stood, including that of Andy Warhol, Carl André, Robert Smithson (later of course) and so forth. In fact, much of his influence is only starting to have been absorbed by the Zeitgeist.

Where his forebears (the DaDa) had also carried out similar acts and operations with the same intent, Yves Klein's genius was in formatting these acts for accessibility and public consumption. Klein's particular genius was curatorial and related to the field of public relations, much as Warhol's would be less than a decade later. While one could refer to Klein as a 'popularizer' - but the question is really political in nature and best left for other forums than this.

Monochrome Painting, MP19, 1962

Klein International Blue (IKB), Reference Color Specifier Patch.
Klein's greatest legacy? Or was he simply early out of the gate in the 'branding game'?

Monochrome Painting IKB54 1957