Yves Klein’s monochrome painting “California” sold for 18.4 million euros in France

At an auction in Paris, collectors competed for one of the most famous works of the 20th century – a monochrome blue canvas created by Klein in 1961. The painting, which is almost four meters wide and about two meters high, has become the most expensive among his works that were previously in private collections.

“California” is considered the pinnacle of the artist’s work, who sought to convey the “pure energy of color” without plots or figures. Yves Klein said that each of his monochromes has its own “essence and breath”, even if at first glance all the canvases seem the same.

The artist created the painting shortly before his first trip to the United States, where he presented exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles. The work uses his signature shade – “International Klein Blue” – a rich ultramarine, which he patented by mixing the pigment with synthetic resin and a matte component. This shade became Klein’s artistic signature and a symbol of the new aesthetics of the 1960s.

The surface of the canvas is covered with small pebbles, creating a sense of the texture of the seabed. Yves Klein, who died at the age of 34, left behind few works, but his influence on modern art remains enormous. It was he who transformed color into a self-sufficient artistic object, devoid of plot, line and form.