PARIS.- Christie's announced California, (IKB 71) as the leading highlight of Avant-Garde(s) including Thinking Italian, Christie's major sale during the Paris Art Week, taking place on 23 October. Anticipated to be a standout moment of Christie's European autumn season, this exceptional monumental work embodies the radical spirit and true inventiveness of Yves Klein.

Measuring over four meters, California, (IKB 71) is a monochrome only surpassed in scale by the titanic panels of Klein's installation in the Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. A perpetual invitation to dive into the unknown, California, (IKB 71) presents the triumphant culmination of Yves Klein's exploration of International Klein Blue.

Returning to the city where it was originally created, and appearing at auction for the first time, California, (IKB 71) ranks among the most important works by Yves Klein to ever come to market. Christie's holds the three highest auction prices for the artist, including Anthropométrie de l'époque bleue, (ANT 124), sold in London on 28 June 2022 for £27.2 million.

«Through color, I experience total identification with space; I am truly free. » -- Yves Klein, My Position in the Battle between Line and Colour

With his signature International Klein Blue pigment, Klein sought to dissolve boundaries, inviting viewers to take an imaginative leap into an immaterial realm. The enveloping, immersive power of his monochromes places Yves Klein's practice among the most ambitious of the second half of the 20th century, alongside leading figures of American Abstract Expressionism and Color Field Painting.

In March 1961, Klein arrived in the United States for his only visit to the country, ahead of his exhibitions at Leo Castelli Gallery in New York and Dwan Gallery in Los Angeles. On 12th April, the day after the New York opening, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter outer space. Gagarin reported seeing the sky as very dark and the Earth as a deep, intense blue. Klein later wrote to his friend Arman, declaring that the IKB impregnation of Earth had been achieved — and that Gagarin had been the sole visitor to his exhibition opening in space. For Klein, this cosmic blue was not only the color of the void but also of the sea: infinite, immersive, and elemental. The work's resonance with both sky and ocean speaks to its dual symbolism — a connection that continues to inspire collectors drawn to its profound link with the natural world.

Created in 1961, California, (IKB 71) comes from a distinguished private American collector. With its heavily textured surface, it anticipates Klein's Reliefs planétaires. It was last seen in public during its long-term loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 2005 to 2008.

Rotraut Klein Moquay, widow of Yves Klein: «It is with great emotion that I encounter this sublime and monumental work once again today at Christie's. With it come vivid memories of the extraordinary journey Yves and I made to the United States in 1961. First, the frenzy of New York, then Los Angeles. And it was at Disneyland that Yves gave me an engagement ring… How could I not fall in love with California? »

Katharine Arnold, Vice Chairman 20/21st Century Art, and Head of Post-War & Contemporary Art, Europe at Christie's: «Yves Klein's California, (IKB 71), is a monochrome of monumental importance. Created in 1961, the year of Klein's first and only visit to the United States, the work was debuted in his landmark solo exhibition at Dwan Gallery in Los Angeles that summer. Between 2005 and 2008, the painting was on long-term loan to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art captivating viewers with its vast, seemingly endless expanse of blue. Belonging to a distinguished, private American collector, it is a pleasure to be offering this masterpiece by Yves Klein in Paris where it will be the highlight of the European sale season. »

Paul Nyzam, International Specialist, Head of Department, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Christie's France: « Anyone who gazes into the vast and extraordinarily rich surface of California, (IKB 71) experiences the sublime. Through its monumentality, the work overwhelms us and invites contemplation: here, Yves Klein measures his art against the infinity of the cosmos as much as the depths of the oceans. This immersive power is precisely what captivated the current owner of the painting, who has entrusted us with the opportunity to present this exceptional work – a moment we are truly honored to bring to the forefront of our Avant-Garde(s) including Thinking Italian evening sale. »