ART & KIDS: YVES KLEIN

Yves Klein was one of France’s most inventive artists and famously known for creating a special blue named International Klein Blue (IKB). Today I would like to recommend you the book “Yves Klein: Painted Everything Blue and Wasn’t Sorry”, an inspiring story about this French artist who made art in surprising ways.

What makes this book so special?

First of all, the book has been written and illustrated by the award-winning Italian painter and author Fausto Gilberti, who we recently interviewed on World Kids. As a dad of two- art-loving children, Fausto was interested in presenting contemporary art in a fun and approachable way, so he started this great series of read-aloud biographies of leading modern artists. His first picture-book presented the life and work of Jackson Pollock: “Jackson Pollock. Splashed paint and wasn’t sorry“.

“Yves Klein. Painted Everything Blue and wasn’t sorry” is the second title of this great series that combines black and white illustrations with a single pop of color (yellow for Pollock’s biography and blue for Klein’s).

The book is a great introduction to the artist’s life (narrating some of his eccentricities) and to his art experiments, such as monochromatic paintings, balloon performances, fire paintings, and body imprints.

Secondly, the book is beautifully edited by Phaidon, considered the premier global publisher of the creative arts. With over 1.500 titles, Phaidon publishes innovative books on art, photography, design, architecture, fashion, food and travel. Their illustrated books for children are a work of art for book lovers.

At last, in addition to being a clever portrayal and fun to read, the story is a celebration of the individuality and self-expression behind the artist. The story encourages children to think outside the box and to be true to their ideas. It shows kids how this great French artist was not afraid to take risks, how he was always thinking about new ways of making art, and how he surprised his audience with daring artistic proposals.

This extraordinary book is an open window to artistic freedom!

Bravo, Yves! Bravo, Fausto! Bravo, Phaidon!