Why would someone pay $21 million for a painting that is all blue?

A blue monochrome painting by French artist Yves Klein has just sold for $21 million, marking his new record on the French auction market.

A Christie's auction house employee looks at the painting California by French artist Yves Klein - Photo: AFP

The work, titled “California (IKB 71)”, is 4m wide and nearly 2m high, and is the largest monochrome painting that artist Yves Klein has ever made, with a characteristic blue color that he created himself.

What is special about Yves Klein's blue monochrome painting?

In 1960, artist Yves Klein patented a special shade of blue he created – a thick paint combining synthetic resin, opacifier and pigment, which he named “International Klein Blue” (IKB).

Christie's auction house said Yves Klein once said that no two of his monochrome paintings were exactly alike, as each had a completely different meaning and atmosphere.

“California” was painted by him in early 1961, just before his trip to the United States to attend inaugural exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles.

On the surface of the painting, Yves Klein attached many small pebbles, creating the feeling of the deep seabed under the deep blue of the ocean.

"California" by French artist Yves Klein - Photo: Christie's

According to ARTnews , this is one of the few works by Klein that has a specific title. The name "California" is named after the state where he exhibited the work shortly after completing it in 1961.

Yves Klein, who lived in Paris, visited the United States only once, to meet Virginia Dwan, a prominent Los Angeles gallery owner and longtime supporter of his.

French painter Yves Klein - Photo: Walker Art Center

However, Christie's auction house, in collaboration with the Yves Klein Foundation, discovered that the painting's journey included something less well known: before arriving in California, the work was exhibited in New York in an exhibition by art dealer Leo Castelli.

Yves Klein died just a year later, in 1962, ending a short but brilliant career at the age of just 34.

Although Christie's declined to identify the seller, art insiders said the work came from the collection of George David, the former chairman of United Technologies, a businessman who has sponsored many major exhibitions at The Met , including shows by Van Gogh and Jasper Johns. George David has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Flower sculpture "Sculpture éponge bleue sans titre" by Yves Klein - Photo: Natalie Seroussi

Previously in 2013, Yves Klein's flower sculpture “Sculpture éponge bleue sans titre”, made from blue-dyed sponge mounted on a metal body and stone base, sold for $22 million at Sotheby's auction house in New York.

Yves Klein once shared that the idea for this work came from the moment he realized the beauty of the blue color on the sponges he often used in his creations.

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