This Limited Edition series of animals sculpted by Ernest Massuet and painted in a vibrant Blue and Gold was inspired by the famous artist Yves Klein and his creation of ‘International Klein Blue’. These bold blue figurines will add a modern pop of colour to your home that will definitely stand out.
The Creation of International Klein Blue
Yves Klein was a French artist who was a forerunner in the minimalist art movement. He had painted intensely vibrant monochromatic works since the 1950s but it wasn’t until his exhibition ’Epoch Blue’, when he decided to focus on just one monochromatic colour; International Klein Blue. Klein used a matte synthetic resin binder which allows the ultramarine pigment to greatly retain much of the original vibrancy.
In creating Klein Blue, Yves Klein was aiming to encourage the viewer to engage with the piece using imagination and emotion. His intent being “to make visible the absolute”, to move past the idea of art simply being a physical object and instead to think about art as the communication between the artist and the wider world, his art being a fragment of a larger concept. Klein conceived the idea that art and beauty can be found everywhere however, it is the artist job to reveal that beauty. Monochrome being his ideal medium to do this as it exposes many details which might not have been captured otherwise.
Klein’s legacy, one could argue is not simply the blue pigment he developed but a way to interpret and the appreciate the world and art and has since influenced much of contemporary art today. In his lifelong mission to “liberate colour from the prison that is the line” he melded together a way to expand our idea of what is tangible beauty and the artists involvement in art. He blurred the lines between performance art, sculpture, painting and conceptual art and capturing the idea that his whole life was art.
More Expensive than Gold
Blue pigment was the most expensive pigments in the world because it is rare to find in nature, only being present in semi-precious stones such as Lapis Lazuli. Dating back to the Renaissance period, blue was more expensive than gold and used as a sign of honour so only paintings of greatly respected figures used the pigment.
Special pigments have to be used to withstand the high fire temperatures required of the single-firing process that Lladro pioneered. That is how they obtained the delicate pastel colour-way that they are so well-acclaimed for. However, over the years, they have developed a whole new palette of soluble colours that are able to retain it’s vibrancy after being fired in high temperature. Now Lladro has 4000 different hues that they can create, Klein Blue being one of the true successes in holding it’s vivid colour.
The influence Yves Klein has has on art cannot be understated being such a strong influence for many artists. For Lladro, a brand renowned for it’s exquisite porcelain, it is no wonder why they would combine International Klein Blue and their range of highly detailed animal sculptures. Creating a collection that reveals so much depth and craftsmanship and yet balances modernity with a bold and striking elegance, thus incorporating Klein’s idea of revealing invisible beauty and how its perceived.
Macaw Sculpture in Blue-Gold. Limited Edition of 300 pieces. Sold out globally.
Elephant Sculpture in Blue-Gold. Limited Edition of 300 pieces. Sold out globally.
Attentive Bunny Sculpture in Blue-Gold.
Courting Cranes Sculpture in Blue-Gold. Limited Edition of 300 pieces. Now sold out globally.
Gorilla Sculpture in Blue-Gold. Limited Edition of 500 pieces, now also sold out globally.
In contrast, read about Lladró's Bold Black Collection.