“When I don’t have red I use blue…”
Pablo Picasso
Yves Klein was a French Abstract Expressionist. Like many of us he dreamed of having his own unique pigment, a perfect shade of blue. In collaboration with Parisian art paint supplier Edouard Adam, a new blue for his art was developed. Essentially it is ultramarine blue suspended in a unique binder. For centuries ultramarine was mixed with linseed oil, a yellow toned medium. Klein and Adam experimented with a new synthetic resin binder. totally transparent. It was registered under the name International Klein Blue, better known as IKB. Much of Klein’s work from this point was completely monochrome. IKB was painted on canvasses, walls, objects and people. Indeed IKB has developed quite a status in pop culture. Fun fact, Actor Eddie Redmayne wrote a thesis on IKB for his masters degree in Art History at Trinity College Cambridge. Redmayne is colourblind. #designyourownblue #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 