Fondation
Yves Klein

Fondation Yves Klein // The Estate of Yves Klein and Naoshima Art Island 

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Desiring a space for a permanent display of Yves Klein’s lifelong body of work, the concept of Fondation Yves Klein was born. Much of this structure and space are inspired by all aspects of Klein’s life. With the project name being an eponymous nod to his French heritage, the situation of this site in Japan is linked to Klein’s adolescence; a semi-professional Judo master who lived in the country for a time. Emphasising Klein’s career-defining artworks that express and exalt the female form, the exhibition structure channels the shape of the female body. Positioning this structure and space on the seashore, and partly over the ocean, is reminiscent of Klein’s childhood spent growing up on the foreshore in Nice, on the French Riviera, which he has remembered fondly. There is a process of undulation occurring in the built structure, with specific elevations and depressions, to mimic the curves of a female body. A reverence for Klein’s patented blue hue, International Klein Blue, has been honoured in certain displays and exhibit rooms. This concept aims to provide a remarkable home for Klein’s estate of works to honour his legacy and teachings for new generations.