# Yves Klein artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/yves-klein/
Profile generated: 2026-04-30T14:46:30.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1928-04-28
- Death date: 1962-06-06
- Nationality: French
- Movements: Nouveau réalisme
- Common media: Pigment on canvas (monochrome), Sponge sculptures, Performance and body art, Photography, Fire painting, Relief and gold-leaf works

## About Yves Klein

Yves Klein (1928–1962) was a French artist whose radically brief career reshaped post-war European art. A founding member of the Nouveau réalisme movement organized by critic Pierre Restany in 1960, Klein is best known for his patented International Klein Blue (IKB), an intense ultramarine pigment that became the signature of his monochrome paintings. Born in Nice to painter parents Fred Klein and Marie Raymond, Klein pursued judo and mysticism before turning to art full-time in the mid-1950s. His practice spanned painting, sculpture, performance, photography, and conceptual works, including the Anthropometry performances in which models pressed their pigment-covered bodies against canvas. His work anticipated minimal art, pop art, and institutional critique. Klein died of a heart attack at age 34, leaving a concentrated but enormously influential body of work now held by major museums worldwide.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Klein's monochrome blue paintings on canvas or panel, sponge reliefs made with natural sponges saturated in IKB pigment, Anthropometry works bearing body-imprint marks, fire paintings created with a blowtorch on cardboard, gold-leaf monochrome panels, and photographic editions such as the iconic Leap into the Void (1960). Sculptural forms include sponge towers and planetary reliefs. Multiples, lithographs, and exhibition posters also circulate in the secondary market.

## Market and appraisal context

Yves Klein's auction market is deep and internationally dispersed. Appraisily's auction-record index traces 937 lots offered between June 1999 and April 2026, of which 728 carried a recorded price. The market is top-heavy: the recorded maximum is approximately $27.2 million, while the 75th percentile sits near $105,000 and the median around $24,225. The 25th percentile (~$9,000) and floor ($20) reflect the steady circulation of editioned multiples, serigraphs, and exhibition posters alongside unique works. Recent liquidity remains strong, with 73 priced lots in the trailing twelve months against 82 in the prior period—a modest contraction but still active. Ten major houses dominate supply, led by Christie's and Sotheby's at the top end, with strong French-market presence from Artcurial, Piasa, Aguttes, Millon & Associés, and Cornette de Saint-Cyr. The highest recent result was Christie's London sale of Victoire de Samothrace (March 2026) at £342,900. Mid-tier results cluster around IKB tables (£10,000–£17,800 / $11,000–$14,250) and Petite Vénus editions (€4,500–€7,500). Serigraphs and printed multiples trade at the low end ($750–$1,000). The price dispersion—roughly five orders of magnitude between floor and ceiling—underscores how critical medium, edition status, dimensions, and cataloguing are for any appraisal.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Yves Klein's auction market is deep and internationally dispersed. Appraisily's auction-record index traces 937 lots offered between June 1999 and April 2026, of which 728 carried a recorded price. The market is top-heavy: the recorded maximum is approximately $27.2 million, while the 75th percentile sits near $105,000 and the median around $24,225. The 25th percentile (~$9,000) and floor ($20) reflect the steady circulation of editioned multiples, serigraphs, and exhibition posters alongside unique works. Recent liquidity remains strong, with 73 priced lots in the trailing twelve months against 82 in the prior period—a modest contraction but still active. Ten major houses dominate supply, led by Christie's and Sotheby's at the top end, with strong French-market presence from Artcurial, Piasa, Aguttes, Millon & Associés, and Cornette de Saint-Cyr. The highest recent result was Christie's London sale of Victoire de Samothrace (March 2026) at £342,900. Mid-tier results cluster around IKB tables (£10,000–£17,800 / $11,000–$14,250) and Petite Vénus editions (€4,500–€7,500). Serigraphs and printed multiples trade at the low end ($750–$1,000). The price dispersion—roughly five orders of magnitude between floor and ceiling—underscores how critical medium, edition status, dimensions, and cataloguing are for any appraisal.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these auction records as a comparable-sales baseline, cross-referenced against the specific work's photographs, dimensions, medium, signature or stamp, condition report, provenance chain, edition number (for multiples), and catalogue raisonné entry. Because Klein's mature career lasted only seven years, date precision matters: a 1960 Anthropometry and a posthumous edition carry vastly different values. Authenticity should be confirmed through the Yves Klein Archives (yvesklein.com), and any lot without clear cataloguing or archive reference should be flagged. The extreme price spread means that selecting truly comparable lots—same series, similar dimensions, same edition tier—is more important than relying on aggregate median figures. Works designated 'd'après' (after) the artist, such as posthumous prints or commemorative editions, trade in a distinct, lower tier and must be identified before valuation.

### Valuation factors

- Unique IKB monochrome paintings command the highest tier; Victoire de Samothrace (unique dry-pigment sculpture) realized £342,900 at Christie's in March 2026
- IKB tables (glass, Plexiglas, steel, pigment) trade in a $10,000–$18,000 band across Christie's, Bonhams, and Wright, providing a reliable comparable tier for design objects
- Editioned multiples—Petite Vénus bleue (ed. 185/500), Blue Disc serigraphs, Dimanche newspaper—trade between $750 and $7,600; edition number and condition materially affect price within this tier
- Works catalogued 'd'après' (after Klein) are posthumous or commemorative prints and should be valued separately from lifetime works
- Provenance and exhibition history are unusually weighty given the short oeuvre; a well-documented chain to a 1960s Galerie Rive Droite or Galerie Alexandre Iolas exhibition adds significant value
- Condition is critical for pigment-on-sponge and pigment-on-canvas works; IKB pigment is fragile and surface disruption disproportionately affects value
- Authentication through the Yves Klein Archives is the market standard; unverified attributions trade at a steep discount
- Currency and venue matter: French-house results (Artcurial, Piasa, Aguttes) are priced in EUR and may differ from London (GBP) or New York (USD) results for equivalent works

### Collector notes

- The Klein market is liquid—73 priced lots in the past 12 months—so both buyers and sellers can reference recent comparables with reasonable confidence
- Entry-point multiples (serigraphs, Petite Vénus editions, exhibition posters) are accessible below $5,000, but these are not unique paintings and should not be benchmarked against seven- or eight-figure monochrome results
- Sponge reliefs appear frequently at auction (multiple 'Blue Sponge Relief' listings in 2026) but several went unsold; reserve strategy and condition are key for this category
- The Victoire de Samothrace result (£342,900) at Christie's in March 2026 suggests sustained demand for unique sculptural works at the top of the Klein market
- French regional houses (Aguttes, Millon, Piasa) regularly offer Klein multiples—collectors seeking value may find opportunities outside the major London and New York sales
- Buyers should distinguish lifetime works from posthumous editions and 'd'après' prints, which the market prices at a fraction of lifetime pieces

### Market caveats

- The $27.2 million maximum reflects a single outlier (likely a large unique IKB monochrome); it is not representative of the typical lot and should not anchor expectations for most works
- Approximately 209 of 937 lots in the index lack a recorded price (unsold, withdrawn, or price not reported), so the true clearance rate cannot be calculated from these data alone
- Recent 12-month lot count (73) is about 11% below the prior 12 months (82); whether this reflects supply contraction, softening demand, or normal variance cannot be determined from auction records alone
- Some lots are titled ambiguously (e.g., 'Blue Sponge Relief' with no further cataloguing); such records should be treated as low-specificity comparables
- The Appraisily auction-record index aggregates data derived from public auction feeds; prices are hammer prices unless otherwise noted and do not include buyer's premium
- Posthumous and commemorative editions may bear Klein's name but were not executed during his lifetime; these occupy a separate and lower value tier that the aggregate statistics partly obscure

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/yves-klein/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-victoire-de-samothrace-victory-of-samothrace-dry-303-c-5557b79597
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-table-ikb-glass-plexiglas-steel-and-blue-pigment-1227-c-d3dccabdf1
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-table-bleue-153-c-46c60b7fac
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-table-ikb-72-c-b6a3fe674e
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-table-rose-1961-1963-26-c-47807f50fa
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-nice-1928-paris-1962-petite-venus-1956-1957-brass-brooch-international-klein-blue-pigment-gold-leaf-and-acrylic-methacrylate-urn-exemplary-185-500-33-c-cbe4d788b5
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-french-1928-1962-table-ikb-cocktail-table-10-c-62c2e6fd43
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-petite-venus-bleue-1956-1957-27-c-06c4e63ea4
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-blue-sponge-relief-462-c-d110e7318c
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-dimanche-le-journal-d-un-seul-jour-1960-typographie-sur-papier-journal-faux-journal-en-quatre-pages-realise-par-l-artiste-le-27-novembre-1960-a-l-occasion-du-festival-d-art-d-avant-garde-parisfeuille-com-126-c-4ee35da189
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-blue-disc-serigraph-133-c-9d58f39345
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-et-francois-pompon-1855-1933-d-apres-l-ours-pompon-2022-180-c-3457ce44e2
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-d-apres-portrait-d-arman-galerie-alexandre-iolas-1965-247-c-691cbc5a86
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-d-apres-le-monochrome-galerie-rive-droite-1960-246-c-5cfd4619e3
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-d-apres-yves-propositions-monochromes-1957-245-c-1f3bfe81a0
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-1928-1962-d-apres-le-monochrome-galerie-rive-droite-1960-244-c-eda839815c
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-blue-sponge-relief-110-c-f5480ed8fb
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-blue-sponge-relief-36-c-14135914ce
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-yves-klein-blue-disc-serigraph-31-c-55b55f9d02

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine independent artist-identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. The Yves Klein page draws on authority files from Wikidata, VIAF, the Library of Congress, and the RKD, as well as collection records from MoMA and Tate, to establish biographical and art-historical context.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q154335
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yves_Klein
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/70174713/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50044185
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/3137
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/yves-klein-1418
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/44708
- Yves Klein Archives: https://www.yvesklein.com/