Yves Klein

Estate of the artist
Vidal Collection, Paris
Sale: Binoche & Godeau, 1975
Anders Wall, Stockholm
Carl Magnus Hessel, New York
Private Collection, Paris
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate although the overall tonality is slightly deeper and richer in the original. The catalogue illustration fails to convey the texture of the sponge and the three-dimensional quality of the sculpture. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is very light surface dust in some of the crevaces. No restoration is apparent under ultra violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"In working on my pictures in my studio I sometimes used sponges. They became blue very quickly! Obviously, one day I noticed the beauty of the blue in the sponge: at once this working tool became raw material for me."  The artist cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, Houston, Rice University Institute for the Arts, Yves Klein: 1928-1962: A Retrospective, 1982, p. 111

 

 

Yves Klein's uniquely beautiful sponge sculptures that he first begun in 1958, evolved as a derivative of his iconic Monochromes and as an exploration into nature and space.  First exhibited in June 1959 at the Galerie Iris Clert in Paris, Klein presented his lavishly saturated blue sponge sculptures – all of varying sizes, heights, shapes and textures – grouped together along the sides of a small room, transforming the space into a lush, crowded and mysterious environment, in an attempt to recreate the beauty and overgrowth of a natural woodland area.  Filling the gallery with an assortment of things which resembled flowers, trees, lush vegetation, and even human figures, Klein created a dense forest of sponges.  Each sponge was unique yet all carried his signature International Klein Blue colour, which varied in tone according to the sponge's physical qualities and its absorption capabilities.  Klein's forest of sponges, according to Stich was meant to imply that "a process of natural growth and proliferation was taking place" and that these brilliantly blue flowers and trees were a natural phenomenon, growing in nature, and evolving and multiplying as Klein continued to create hundreds of variations of these sculptures (Sidra Stich, Yves Klein, Ostfildern 1994, p. 165).  The forest was intended to emphasize an allusion to nature, and highlight the differences which can be found in a seemingly similar object – Klein's aim with these sponge sculptures was, like his earlier monochromes, to emphasize that no two things on the planet are identical despite their apparent similarities – insisting that the individual value of each work resides in the creativity instilled in it, and holds an inherent sensibility or aura which is immaterially present and irreproducible. 

 

Klein often referred to his sponge sculptures as portraits, stating that "Thanks to the sponges – living, savage material – I was able to make portraits of the readers of my monochromes who, after having seen, after having travelled in the blue of my paintings, come back totally impregnated in sensibility like the sponges" (the artist cited in: Sidra Stich, Yves Klein, Ostfildern 1994, p. 165).  Klein originally used sponges to apply paint, and after noticing their incredible absorption qualities one day in his studio he began to employ them in his work.  He believed the sponge impregnates by being impregnated, in its passage from tool to artwork, without the interference of the canvas, and that the sponge is a medium which demonstrates the transitive dimension of impregnation.  The sponge, the real matter, thus became the ideal metaphor for translating the idea of the transmission of artistic sensibility.  Since sponges were naturally absorbent, they were the perfect material to use to provide Kline with the type of saturation he sought to achieve – saturation of both the environment and the people.

 

The present work, SE 262, exhibiting Klein's trademark striking sapphire blue, stands like a gem evoking intrigue and mystery.  One of the largest examples, this sculpture is a mature version executed in 1960-61 and reveals the soft, powdery texture of the pigment which has been absorbed into the natural holes and crevasses of the sponge.  At once commanding a presence in the room, SE 262 is one of the most beautiful versions of its kind, intensely saturated in Klein's deeply seductive blue.  Catching the light as it trickles across its surface, the tones vary from light to dark, as if recalling the reflection of water and creating a sense of movement across the surface.

 

Klein's sponge sculptures were a natural progression in his work as he searched for a form of freedom, a weightless, air-like material, in an attempt to defy gravity.  He wanted his viewers to feel, and experience his art as a connection to the experience of real life, explaining his desires to create subcultures which reference the natural world.  Klein's sponge sculptures offered the possibility of placing his blue coloured objects in space, thereby acquiring the independence that the monochrome paintings sought with respect to the wall.  The sponges would thus allow him this journey, as they floated in space, and created a universe where one only sees blue. To the same extent as the monochromes, the sponge has become emblematic of Klein's work, and SE 262 stands as one of the grandest testaments.