YVES KLEIN — Exhibition Invitation, Galerie Karl Flinker, Paris, 1973

Original folded invitation issued for the Yves Klein exhibition at Galerie Karl Flinker, 25 rue de Tournon, Paris, opening Tuesday 13 February 1973 and running to 24 March 1973.

The exterior unfolds into a blue-and-white reproduction of Anthropométrie (ANT 66), 1960. Klein developed the Anthropometries by directing models whose paint-covered bodies transferred their impressions onto paper. The body replaced the conventional brush, leaving an image positioned between painting, performance and physical trace.

Inside, the image gives way to the administrative structure of the exhibition: gallery, address, telephone number, artist, opening hours and dates. A large work is reduced to a folded support designed to move through the post.

Produced eleven years after Klein’s death, the invitation belongs to the period in which his short and radical career was first being organised through posthumous exhibitions and publications. Unlike the accompanying catalogue, this card was made for immediate circulation. It announced a single opening, passed from gallery to recipient and was expected to disappear once the exhibition ended.

The object survives in its original role: image outside, information within. A temporary distribution mechanism retained beyond its intended use.

13.5 × 13.5 cm folded; 27 × 13.5 cm unfolded. Offset-printed folded card; blue monochrome reproduction to exterior; gallery and exhibition details printed inside. Condition: good vintage condition. Light age toning and handling wear, faint surface marks, minor edge and corner softening, and wear along the original fold. No major tears or losses visible.

Securely packed; tracked UK and international shipping available.