About Yves Klein
Yves Klein was a French artist and an important figure in post-war European art. He was a leading member of the French artistic movement of Nouveau réalisme, founded in 1960 by art critic Pierre Restany. Klein was a pioneer in the development of performance art, and is seen as an inspiration to and as a forerunner of minimal art, as well as pop art. He developed and used International Klein Blue. He travelled to Japan in 1953 where he became, at the age of 25, a master at judo receiving the rank of yondan (4th dan/degree black-belt) from the Kodokan, becoming the first European to rise to that rank.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.