Klein, Yves

Yves Klein was born in 1928 in Nice. In 1957, he took out a patent on an intense brilliant ultramarine which he called International Klein Blue (IKB). Klein was a major figure in the French Nouveaux Realistes group and had a profound influence on numerous twentieth century art movements, in particular on Conceptual Art, Body Art, Happenings and Performance. He died of a heart attack, in 1962, at age 34.