Yves Klein searched tirelessly after the essence of art, in hopes of revealing its fundamental immateriality.
In sculpture, he found a liberating medium through which monochrome art could permeate space in three dimensions.
In 1962, the year of his death, Yves Klein recreated universally adored masterpieces in his signature IKB: the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Michelangelo’s Dying Slave. These were embodied objects, with an undeniable presence.
These sculptures were published from 1982 to 1992, and are now eagerly disputed by collectors around the world.
In 2022, for the 60th anniversary of the artist’s death, Artémus Éditions, an art publisher with a passion for Klein’s work, proposed to the Yves Klein Foundation that the famous International Klein Blue (IKB) be affixed to an equally iconic sculpture. His choice is “The Polar Bear”, a masterpiece by François Pompon, presented just 100 years ago at the 1922 Salon d’Automne. One captured the essence of form, the other the essence of color and beyond, the essence of art.
The coherence of the proposal unites the rightful owners around this edition to create a work that is consistent with the heritage of both artists.
The high standards of the foundations in charge of the artists’ image will guide the entire production of the edition to achieve a museal quality.
Handmade resin made from an original mould of François Pompon’s polar bear.
The Bear is fixed on a Plexiglas terrace and protected by a Plexiglas bell. Includes custom packaging.
