Yves Klein was a French artist associated with the Nouveau Réalisme movement which sought “new ways of perceiving the real,” bringing art and life closer together. Working across a range of media, Klein used color, particularly his trademarked hue of ultramarine known as “International Klein Blue” (IKB), to manifest a notion of “immaterial sensibility,” a powerful energy he believed to be present in his work. His striking composition Untitled Blue Sponge Relief (RE 21), 1960, in Glenstone’s collection, creates a feeling of immersion through the application of IKB to a bed of natural sponges and pebbles.

–Ali Nemerov, from the Glenstone Field Guide