Iris Clert Gallery
| Company type | Art gallery |
|---|---|
| Industry | Art |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Iris Clert |
| Defunct | 1976 |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
Area served | Paris, France |
Key people | Iris Clert |
The Iris Clert Gallery (Galerie Iris Clert) was a compact art space named after its Greek proprietor and curator, Iris Clert. Situated at 3 rue des Beaux-Arts in Paris, it operated between 1955 and 1976. The gallery was known for exhibiting works by prominent figures including Yves Klein, Jean Tinguely, Arman, Takis, and René Laubies.
Early years
Established in 1955 within Paris’s artistic quarter, the gallery initially gained recognition when the then-unknown Yves Klein persuaded Clert to present a small orange monochrome painting. This opportunity led to Klein’s inclusion in the gallery’s inaugural major exhibition, Micro-Salon d'Avril (April 1957), which featured over 250 postcard-sized pieces from more than one hundred artists, among them Pablo Picasso and Max Ernst. This event solidified the gallery’s reputation for conceptually driven exhibitions.
Subsequently, Klein mounted his own notable show titled Propositions Monochromes, distinguished by a single blue monochrome prominently displayed in the front window. The opening event included Klein’s Monotone Symphony, a 40-minute orchestral composition consisting of sustained tones and silence, alongside the release of 1,001 blue balloons—an early example of his inventive promotional methods.
Rise to success
The gallery’s stature increased significantly with Klein’s 1958 exhibition le Vide (The Void), which opened on his thirtieth birthday. For this show, Klein cleared the gallery space entirely except for one empty white-painted display case, effectively presenting emptiness as an artistic statement. This work embodied his shift toward immaterial and experiential art.
This participatory exhibition involved sending out 3,500 invitations and featured elaborate staging elements such as Republican Guards and themed cocktails. It attracted considerable attendance and critical praise; intellectuals like Albert Camus lauded its significance, while critics emphasized its compelling use of color and spatial dynamics.
In November 1958, Klein teamed up with Jean Tinguely for Vitesse pure et Stabilité monochrome (Pure Speed and Monochrome Stability), merging Klein’s monochromatic style with Tinguely’s kinetic mechanical sculptures. This collaboration achieved both commercial success and artistic acclaim.
Klein’s growing prominence led to commissions including an avant-garde design proposal for the Gelsenkirchen Opera House in West Germany. The gallery displayed only the plans under the title La Collaboration Internationale entre Artistes et Architectes dans la realization du Nouvel Opéra et theater de Gelsenkirchen.
In June 1959, Klein unveiled La forêt d'ésponges monochromes (Forest of Monochrome Sponges), showcasing sponges soaked in his signature International Klein Blue suspended on sticks—developing from his earlier aerostatic sculptures. Unsatisfied with this suspension technique, Klein aimed to achieve unassisted levitation through hydrogen balloons.
However, tensions emerged when Clert sided with Takis, another artist working with aerostatic suspension. Feeling betrayed over concerns related to intellectual property, Klein ended his association with Clert and her gallery.
Post-Klein
Despite the formal separation between Klein and Clert, a temporary conceptual connection lingered. In October 1960, Arman, a close associate of Klein, presented an exhibition titled Le Plein (The Full-Up) at the Iris Clert Gallery. This show served as a deliberate counterpoint to Klein's Void by completely filling the modest gallery space with discarded refuse, visible exclusively through the front window. Invitations to the event were uniquely packaged in sardine cans marked "Arman – Le Plein – Iris Clert." Klein endorsed this contrasting approach, remarking, "Following my emptiness comes Arman's fullness."
The following year, in 1961, Arman returned with an exhibition showcasing "portraits" of Iris Clert created by multiple artists. This revisited the multi-artist, unified-theme format previously seen in Micro-salon d'Avril. Arman's own contribution was a wall-mounted box containing personal artifacts from Clert's life. Notably, Robert Rauschenberg contributed a telegram stating, "This is a portrait of Iris Clert if I say so." Although initially discarded, Rauschenberg's piece was later recovered and exhibited.
This event marked the final major exhibition held at the Iris Clert Gallery before its 1963 relocation to a larger venue on the Right Bank across the Seine. However, as Clert's influence waned, so too did visitor numbers and commercial success. After Klein’s unexpected death on June 6, 1962, the gallery’s momentum declined significantly. Among its last notable shows was an important exhibition by Italian painter Paolo Pasotto in February 1964. Eventually, Galerie Iris Clert ceased operations in 1971, with Iris Clert herself retreating into relative obscurity.
Legacy
Galerie Iris Clert briefly emerged as a crucial center for avant-garde artistic expression. The gallery’s identity was closely tied to the innovative works it presented; many pieces were unconventional or intangible and challenged traditional modes of exhibition.
Clert designed an adaptable environment that functioned almost as an artistic medium itself—its distinctive character, compact dimensions, pristine white walls, and almost intangible atmosphere encouraged novel artistic practices. This setting promoted enhanced interaction among curator, creator, and audience—a vital synergy of personalities and concepts. While art sales occurred sporadically, many exhibitions lacked typical commercial appeal, underscoring the gallery’s primarily conceptual significance.
Arman noted that Clert "introduced modern methods for displaying art into a market that had previously resembled antique dealing. She was truly a pioneer."
Famous for its exhibitions centered on singular themes—partly due to spatial limitations—the gallery’s unique position was shaped by Clert’s proactive engagement with the artworks shown. In exhibitions like Micro-Salon d'Avril, the overarching concept held equal importance to the individual pieces, many of which were created specifically to suit each show’s theme.
Basic chronology of significant events
- 1955 – Opening of Galerie Iris Clert
- April 1957 – Micro-Salon d'Avril
- May 10–25, 1957 – Yves Klein’s Propositions Monochromes
- April 28, 1958 – Yves Klein’s Le Vide
- November 1958 – Yves Klein & Jean Tinguely’s Vitesse pure et Stabilité monochrome
- May 1959 – La Collaboration Internationale entre Artistes et Architectes dans la réalisation du Nouvel Opéra et théâtre de Gelsenkirchen
- June 1959 – Yves Klein’s La forêt d'ésponges monochromes
- October 1960 – Arman’s Le Plein
- 1961 – Iris Clert Portraits; Yves Klein & Jean Tinguely’s Vitesse pure et Stabilité monochrome
- February 1964 – Paolo Pasotto’s Early 60s works
- 1965 – Boris Vansier’s "30 Portraits du général de Gaulle"
- 1969 – Boris Vansier’s "De Gaulle 30 ans d'Histoire, 11 ans de Pouvoir"
- 1975 – Pedro Friedeberg
- 1980 – Boris Vansier’s "Le pape à Neuilly" (Neuilly gallery)