Overcoming the Problematics of Art: The Writings of Yves Klein [Paperback]

Yves Klein (Author), Klaus Ottmann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

The first complete collection of the major writings of the visionary French conceptual artist YVES KLEIN to be published in English translation. Klein was an artist with a keen philosophical mind, yet deeply spiritual. In his art and in his writings he constructed a vision of the future art that would purify the soul from the ashes of his painting. Translated, with an introduction by KLAUS OTTMANN

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Inherently fascinating, iconoclastic, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Overcoming the Problematics of Art" is strongly recommended reading for those interested in the role and evolution of art with respect to social, cultural, and philosophical issues." --Mary Cowper, The Midwest Book Review (November 2007)

About the Author

Yves Klein (1928 — 1962) was the most important French artist of the second half of the 20th century. Born in Nice, he spent his formative years studying Judo in Japan for a time, before settling in Paris and beginning to exhibit his work there. Many of these early paintings were monochrome and in a variety of colors. By the late 1950s, Klein's monochrome works were almost exclusively in a deep blue hue which he eventually named International Klein Blue (IKB).A number of works featured naked models covered in blue paint dragged across or laid upon canvases to make the image, using the models as brushes. Klein is also well known for a photograph, Leap into the Void, which shows him jumping off a wall, arms outstretched, towards the pavement.

Klaus Ottmann is a philosopher, writer, and curator based in New York. He has written numerous essays on art, design, and philosophy, and is the author of The Genius Decision: The Extraordinary and the Postmodern Condition; The Essential™ Michelangelo; The Essential™ Mark Rothko; Wolfgang Laib: A Retrospective; and James Lee Byars: Life, Love, and Death. He is the curator of the sixth SITE Santa Fe international biennial, which takes place between July and December 2006.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Spring Publications; 1 edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882145681
• ISBN-13: 978-0882145686
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A critically important contribution to academic library collections. November 4, 2007

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Paperback

This Springs Publications edition of "Overcoming The Problematics Of Art: The Writings Of Yves Klein" is ably translated into English and furnished with an informative introduction by Klaus Ottman. This compendium is the first complete collection of the writings of the late French conceptual artist Yves Klein (1928-1962) who blended spirituality with philosophy and served as an agitator of ideas who utilized personal charisma and an analytical mind to argue for the employment of art in the service of social change. The 26 essays and articles comprising "Overcoming The Problematics Of Art" range from 'On Judo' to 'With Regard to My Attempt at the Immaterial'. Inherently fascinating, iconoclastic, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Overcoming The Problematics Of Art" is strongly recommended reading for those interested in the role and evolution of art with respect to social, cultural, and philosophical issues, and a critically important contribution to academic library collections.