Relief éponge bleu (Kleine Nachtmusik), Yves Klein
Yves Klein
Relief éponge bleu (Kleine Nachtmusik)
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Yves Klein

Relief éponge bleu (Kleine Nachtmusik), 1960


Dimensions
145.0 x 116.0 cm
Physical Description
Sponge, stone and pigments on wood and canvas
Inventory Number
SG 1254
Acquisition
Acquired in 1981 with municipal and private funds
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

The sky, the sea, the universe: these are usually our first associations. Yves Klein declared this intense blue his ‘trademark’ and had it patented. Yet he made no claim to the individual application of the paint. The work was created in the founding year of the Nouveaux Réalistes. A typical feature of their works is the involvement of ordinary, everyday objects. The sponges and gravel used here look like extremely enlarged grains of pigment. Klein deliberately omitted the confining frame, thus suggesting that his composition can continue infinitely in all directions.

Audio & Video

  • Basic information
    01:24
  • Focus on art history
    02:11
  • Focus on material
    02:00
  • Highlights of the Städel Collection
    02:24
  • Exhibition “Outstanding! The Relief from Rodin to Picasso” (2023)
    01:52
  • KunstIStück – Yves Klein: Relief éponge bleu
    Sammlungshighlights des Städel Museums in unterhaltsamen und informativen Filmen – das sind die Kunst|Stücke. Entdecken Sie spannende Details zu Kunstwerken aus ungewöhnlichen Blickwinkeln in unter zwei Minuten. Yves Klein: Relief éponge bleu (Blaues Schwammrelief), 1960, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main. https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/de/werk/relief-eponge-bleu#yt

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Relief éponge bleu (Kleine Nachtmusik) (Original Title)
Title Translation
Blue Sponge Relief (Little Night Music)
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Sponge, stone and pigments on wood and canvas
Material
Technique

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
© The Estate of Yves Klein / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024
Acquisition
Acquired in 1981 with municipal and private funds

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary
  • 0 Abstract, Non-representational Art
  • 22C4(BLUE) colours, pigments, and paints: blue

Podcasts

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
Yves Klein
Georges Marci, Gstaad, ca. 1960
Slg. Boutard, Zürich
Galerie Zwirner, Köln
verkauft an die Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt am Main, 1981.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known:

  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
  • the owner's name and place of residence
  • the date on which it changed hands

The successive ownership records are separated from each other by a semicolon.

Gaps in the record of a provenance are indicated by the placeholder “…”. Unsupported information is listed in square brackets.

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Conservation and Restoration

Art-technology findings and/or documentation regarding conservation and restoration are available for this work. If interested, please contact .

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Last update

13.03.2024