Iris Clert

Infobox Person
name = Iris Clert


image_size = 225px
caption = Iris Clert posing atop "le Plein"
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occupation = Gallery owner, curator, socialite
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Iris Clert was the owner of the Galerie Iris Clert from 1955 to 1971. During its tenure, her gallery became an avant-garde hotspot in the international art scene, particularly to Yves Klein, Jean Tinguely, and Arman.

Originally of Greek nationality, Clert became an overnight socialite with the success of her gallery.

Clert was active in the French Resistance during the Second World War.

In 1961, Robert Rauschenberg, who would become one of the forerunners of the Neo-Dada movement, was invited to participate in an exhibition at the Galerie, in which the artists were to create and display a portrait of Iris Clert. Rauschenberg proceeded to send a telegram to the Galerie, containing the words "This is a portrait of Iris Clert if I say so/ Robert Rauschenberg". This was a significant move for Rauschenberg and the artistic community, signifying a step away from the Dadaist work of Marcel Duchamp and Jasper Johns - which tended to focus on the role of the "observer" in applying meaning to a work of art - and toward a more active role of the "creator" in defining art's meaning.

References

* [http://www.mailartist.com/johnheldjr/YvesKlein.html The Formidable Blue Stamp of Yves Klein] by John Held, Jr.