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Klein and Bury at Bozar

The Brussels Centre for Fine Art, Bozar is celebrating two major figures of the ZERO art movement – Pol Bury and Yves Klein.

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Text by Nadine Botha

Although his vivid ultramarine blue has become infamous in the design and art world, Yves Klein died young and underappreciated. Since his death in 1962, the French artist has come to be recognised as one of the most important post-war artists for pioneering performance art, breaking painting out of the frame, blurring the definitions of sculpture and painting, and of course, his distinctive blue that abstracted the colour into an infinite form. Some 30 of Klein’s most significant works, along with seldom-seen films and photos, constitute the Theatre of the Void exhibition showing at Bozar, the Brussels Centre for Fine Art. The show is presented in collaboration with Tate Liverpool until August 8.

The ongoing popularity of International Klein Blue in design is not the only legacy of the Zero art movement in design. For instance, prolific Belgian artist Pol Bury’s fountains and kinetic sculptures can be seen in public spaces from New York to Japan. Bury was also a painter, writer, and designer of jewellery and graphics. A major retrospective exhibition showing at Bozar until June 4 comprises some 120 artworks, of which 65 are motorised and include the monumental 7 metre-long 4087 cylindres érectiles.

 Yves Klein and the Blue Globe 14 rue Campagne-Première, Paris, 1961 Artwork © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / SABAM, Bruxelles, 2017 Photo © Harry Shunk and Janos Kender © J.Paul Getty Trust. The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles
Yves Klein and the Blue Globe 14 rue Campagne-Première, Paris, 1961 Artwork © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / SABAM, Bruxelles, 2017 Photo © Harry Shunk and Janos Kender © J.Paul Getty Trust. The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles
 Yves Klein, 1928-1962 Untitled blue monochrome, (IKB 79) 1959 Paint on canvas on plywood 1397 x 1197 x 32 mm © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016.
Yves Klein, 1928-1962 Untitled blue monochrome, (IKB 79) 1959 Paint on canvas on plywood 1397 x 1197 x 32 mm © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2016.
Yves Klein Untitled Shroud Anthropometry, (ANT SU 5), 1960 ca. Dry pigment and synthetic resin on paper mounted on thin canvas, 77 x 50 cm © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / SABAM, Bruxelles, 2017
Yves Klein Untitled Shroud Anthropometry, (ANT SU 5), 1960 ca. Dry pigment and synthetic resin on paper mounted on thin canvas, 77 x 50 cm © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / SABAM, Bruxelles, 2017
 Harry Shunk, 1924-2006 and János Kender, 1938–2009 Yves Klein’s “Leap Into the Void,” Fontenay-aux Roses, France, 1960 October 23 1960 (Yves Klein’s “Saut dans le Vide,” Fontenay-aux Roses, France, 1960 October 23) 1960
Harry Shunk, 1924-2006 and János Kender, 1938–2009 Yves Klein’s “Leap Into the Void,” Fontenay-aux Roses, France, 1960 October 23 1960 (Yves Klein’s “Saut dans le Vide,” Fontenay-aux Roses, France, 1960 October 23) 1960
 Yves Klein, 1928-1962 Untitled Pink Sponge-relief, (RE 44) c.1960 Dry pigment and synthetic resin, pebbles, natural sponges on panel 650 x 320 mm © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / DACS, London, 2016
Yves Klein, 1928-1962 Untitled Pink Sponge-relief, (RE 44) c.1960 Dry pigment and synthetic resin, pebbles, natural sponges on panel 650 x 320 mm © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / DACS, London, 2016
 Yves Klein Untitled Color Fire Painting, (FC 28), 1962 Dry pigment and synthetic resin on cardboard mounted on panel, 92 x 73 cm © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / SABAM, Bruxelles, 2017
Yves Klein Untitled Color Fire Painting, (FC 28), 1962 Dry pigment and synthetic resin on cardboard mounted on panel, 92 x 73 cm © Yves Klein, ADAGP, Paris / SABAM, Bruxelles, 2017
 Pol Bury at the exhibition entitled Pol Bury. Ponctuations érectiles et molles, Smith Gallery, Brussels, 1961, photographer unknown
Pol Bury at the exhibition entitled Pol Bury. Ponctuations érectiles et molles, Smith Gallery, Brussels, 1961, photographer unknown
Pol Bury, Ball on Sloping Plane, 1963 Painted wood, electric motor, 50 x 50 x 35 cm Private collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen, Brussels
Pol Bury, Ball on Sloping Plane, 1963 Painted wood, electric motor, 50 x 50 x 35 cm Private collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen, Brussels
Pol Bury 49 boules sur un plan incliné mais surélevé - 1966 Private Collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen, Brussels
Pol Bury 49 boules sur un plan incliné mais surélevé - 1966 Private Collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen, Brussels
Pol Bury 26 œufs aplatis sur un plateau - c.1971 Private Collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen, Brussels
Pol Bury 26 œufs aplatis sur un plateau - c.1971 Private Collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen, Brussels
Pol Bury, 19 Balls in an Open Volume – 1965 Polychrome-tinted wood and cork, electric motor, 230 x 92 x 32 cm Private collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen
Pol Bury, 19 Balls in an Open Volume – 1965 Polychrome-tinted wood and cork, electric motor, 230 x 92 x 32 cm Private collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen
Pol Bury, 74 sphères sur un plan (detail), 1979. Private Collection © Photo by Jean- François De Witte, Brussels
Pol Bury, 74 sphères sur un plan (detail), 1979. Private Collection © Photo by Jean- François De Witte, Brussels
Pol Bury Losange disque triangle bleu jaune - 1972 Private Collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen, Brussels
Pol Bury Losange disque triangle bleu jaune - 1972 Private Collection, Brussels © Luc Schrobiltgen, Brussels
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