With roughly 30 works included in a new solo exhibition this fall, Liverpool residents will get a much-needed dose of the Yves Klein blues.
The Tate Liverpool’s show marks the first museum focus on his work in the United Kingdom in over 20 years—a difficult fact to fathom given his enduring popularity and influential hand in the art historical canon.
Aside from the roads he paved for minimalist, conceptual, and performances artists by employing “human paintbrushes” in his controversial Anthropométries series, Klein’s relevance today is also marked by a unique interest in alchemy, which resulted in his creation of a vivid pigment known as International Klein Blue (IKB).
“Klein’s art sought to express infinite space and immateriality achieved through pure colour,” a statement from the museum reads. “Klein further believed in the expressive potential of the body…” as expressed through his nude Anthropométries works.
Vienna, AUSTRIA: A visitor looks at paintings by French artist Yves Klein during the exhibition “The Blue Revolution” at the Mumok museum in Vienna, 08 March 2007. A comprehensive retrospective is being dedicated to Yves Klein at the Mumok museum. Courtesy of Getty Images.
In tandem with the exhibition, there’s a number of events relating to the artist’s life and work. Dr. Judith Walsh, a lecturer at Liverpool Hope University, is holding a day-long event on November 5 designed to explore Klein’s artistic projects through talks and workshops, and a public lecture by the Tate Liverpool’s displays curator, Darren Pih, is scheduled for early December.
Details surrounding the show have not yet been announced. artnet News reached out to Tate Liverpool for comment, but representatives were not available for immediate response.
Yves Klein at Tate Liverpool opens on October 21, 2016 and runs through March 5, 2017.