François Pompon et Yves Klein

The collaboration between the Fondation Yves Klein and the Archives François Pompon has given birth to an emblematic piece: L'Ours Ponpon, merging the work of two great artists, François Pompon and Yves Klein.

Yves Klein, born on April 28, 1928 in the south of France, grew up near Nice in a family of artists. Self-taught, he devoted most of his career to the aesthetic expression of "emptiness". His exploration of the concept of "the totality of things" led him to an ultimate simplification, represented by the famous IKB (International Klein Blue), freed from the constraints of line on his monochrome canvases. Yves Klein died in 1962, leaving behind him a major artistic legacy that has gone down in the history of contemporary art.

François Pompon, born May 9, 1855 in Saulieu, studied architecture and sculpture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Dijon. Moving to Paris in 1874, he devoted his life to learning and practicing his craft. In his work, form was subordinate to light, enhanced by a smooth surface finish. His breakthrough came at the age of 67 with his White Bear, exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in 1922.