Monochromatic Exhibitions: The Beauty of a Singular Colour
Colour has always been a fundamental element in the world of art and design, a powerful tool for storytelling and evoking emotion. In the context of art exhibitions, colour transcends its role as mere decoration and becomes an integral part of the curatorial narrative, guiding visitors through spaces and enhancing their engagement with the artwork. The strategic use of colour in exhibitions dates back to the early 20th century, a period when artists and curators began to explore its psychological and spatial potential.
Historically, exhibitions primarily featured neutral or white walls to emphasize the artwork on display – a practice famously associated with the rise of modernism and the “white cube” gallery model. However, as artistic movements like Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, and Conceptual Art emerged, colour itself began to take centre stage, not just in the artworks but also in the spaces that housed them. The Bauhaus school, for example, championed the idea of colour as a functional and expressive medium, influencing both art and architecture. This marked a turning point where colour became deliberate choice in exhibition design, used to complement, contrast, or even define the works on display.
Monochromatic exhibitions, in particular, offer a unique exploration of colour’s potential. By focusing on a single hue, these exhibitions strip away distractions and allow viewers to immerse themselves fully in the emotional and conceptual resonance of one colour. Whether evoking serenity with soft blues or commanding attention with bold reds, monochromatic spaces create powerful, immersive experiences that challenge our perception of colour and its role in art.
This article traces the history of monochromatic exhibitions, spotlighting their origins, evolution, and key examples throughout history.
Yves Klein, Tríptico de Krefeld , 1961
Image Credit: ArtMajeur by YourArt
Early Monochromatic Spaces: Malevich and the Suprematists
The roots of monochromatic exhibitions can be traced back to Kazimir Malevich and the Suprematist movement of the early 20th century. Malevich’s Black Square (1915) was revolutionary, presenting a singular black form on a white background that rejected traditional representation. This work marked a turning point in art history, emphasizing pure abstraction and the emotive potential of colour (or it’s absence).
Malevich’s monochromatic approach was not limited to black. His later works experimented with white-on-white compositions, exploring subtle tonal variations to evoke infinity and spiritual transcendence. These early experiments paved the way for future artists to use monochrome as a means of abstraction and conceptual exploration.
Kazimir Malevich, Black Square, 1913
Image Credit: Tate Modern
Yves Klein: The Legacy of Blue
Yves Klein’s contribution to monochromatic art is unparalleled. His International Klein Blue(IKB), a vivid ultramarine hue he patented en 1960, became synonymous with his artistic identity. Klein’s monochromatic works ranging from canvases to sculptures and performance pieces – used IKB to evoke sensations of immateriality and infinity.
In his 1958 exhibition The Void at Galerie Iris Clert in Paris, Klein famously presented an empty gallery painted entirely white, with no artworks on display. Though not monochromatic in colour, the conceptual approach aligned with his later works that fully embraced IKB. These included his Blue Monochromes and Anthropometries, where human bodies were used as “living brushes” to apply IKB to canvases.
Klein viewed blue as the colour of the infinite and the immaterial, capable of transcending the physical world. His exhibitions enveloped viewers in a sensory experience, using the monochromatic palette to dissolve the boundaries between art, space, and perception. This approach remains one of the most influential examples of monochromatic art in history.
Yves Klein, Blue Monochrome, 1961
Image Credit: MoMA
Minimalism and the Monochrome: 1960s and 1970s
The Minimalist movement of the mid-20th century further embraced monochromatic aesthetics, with artists like Donald Judd and Robert Ryman exploring the interplay of colour, material, and form. Ryman’s all-white paintings, for example, focused on texture and light, transforming white into a subject in its own right.
These exhibitions often featured monochromatic installations where colour was secondary to materiality and spatial relationships. By using singular palettes, Minimalist artists emphasized the viewer’s, physical and emotional interaction with the artwork, echoing the immersive qualities of earlier monochromatic experiments.
Robert Ryman, Untitled, 1961
Image Credit: MoMA
Contemporary Monochromatic Installations
In recent decades, monochromatic exhibitions have taken on new forms, incorporating technology, light, and large-scale installations. Artists like Olafur Eliasson and James Turrell have used monochromatic light to create environments that alter perception and evoke deep emotional responses.
Eliasson’s Room for One Colour (1997) immersed visitors in a yellow-hued space, where sodium light stripped away all other colours, challenging their visual perception. Similarly, Turrell’s use of monochromatic light in his Skyspaces creates meditative environments that blur the boundaries between art and architecture.
These contemporary approaches demonstrate the enduring appeal of monochromatic exhibitions, which continue to push the boundaries of how colour can be experiences and understood.
Olafur Eliasson, Room for One Colour, 1997
Image Credit: via www.olafureliasson.net Malmö Konsthall, Sweden, 2005
Photo: Jens Ziehe
Monochromatic exhibitions reveal the immense potential of focusing on one colour to evoke emotions, challenge perceptions, and explore new conceptual depths. From the revolutionary abstraction of Malevich to the transcendent ultramarine of Yves Klein, these exhibitions demonstrate how colour can shape our experiences of art and space in profound ways. By stripping away the distractions of multiples hues, monochromatic spaces invite us to see colour not as an accessory but as a central protagonist – a medium of infinite possibilities and powerful storytelling.
Sources
Alleaume, B. (2021) La Fascinante Historia de los monocromos | revista artmajeur, Art Majeur Magazine. Available at: https://www.artmajeur.com/es/magazine/5-historia-del-arte/la-fascinante-historia-de-los-monocromos/330320 (Accessed: 23 January 2025).
La Belleza de la monocromía en el arte: Un estudio detallado (2023) La Belleza de la Monocromía en el Arte: Un Estudio Detallado – 1819 Art Gallery. Available at: https://1819.es/la-belleza-de-la-monocromia-en-el-arte-un-estudio-detallado/?utm_source=chatgpt.com (Accessed: 23 January 2025).
Market, T.A. (2021) Yves Klein: El hombre que pintó el mundo de azul - the art market, Hub del Mundo del Arte, The Art Market, Hub del mundo del arte - Agencia de marketing y medio especializado en el sector de arte. Available at: https://theartmarket.es/yves-klein-el-hombre-que-pinto-el-mundo-de-azul/ (Accessed: 23 January 2025).
Yves Klein. Blue Monochrome. 1961 | moma (no date) MoMA. Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80103 (Accessed: 23 January 2025).
Images
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/kazimir-malevich-1561/five-ways-look-malevichs-black-square
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80103?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78950
https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/room-for-one-colour-1997/
