Yves Klein French, 1928-1962
19.1 x 49 x 26.9 cm
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"L'Ours Pompon" is a remarkable sculpture that unites the distinct visions of two influential artists: François Pompon and Yves Klein. This edition reimagines Pompon's iconic polar bear sculpture, with a finish in Klein's signature International Klein Blue (IKB). Its creation is officially authorized by both the Yves Klein Archives Foundation and the François Pompon Association.
The original inspiration for this piece, François Pompon’s L’ours blanc (The Polar Bear), was a monumental cast sculpture first unveiled at the Autumn Salon in Paris in 1922. The most renowned version of this work, crafted in stone, is a highlight of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
François Pompon (1855–1933), who once honed his skills as an assistant to renowned sculptors Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin, shifted his artistic focus to animal forms in 1905. He became known for his masterful simplification of shapes. In L’ours blanc, Pompon stripped away superfluous details, yet still brilliantly captured the essence of the animal's movement, posture, and texture.
For this special edition, L’ours Pompon is coated in Yves Klein Blue, a vibrant, matte ultramarine. Registered by Yves Klein himself as IKB in 1960, this distinctive hue was the culmination of the artist's quest for a medium that could perfectly embody the purity of ultramarine blue pigment. Klein's journey to create this color began in 1954 when he sought the expertise of Édouard Adam's atelier in Paris.
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