Performance Art

Above: one of Yves Klein's anthropometries, Vampire.
-image from YvesKlein.com

"Performance art is art in which the actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a particular time constitute the work. It can happen anywhere, at any time, or for any length of time. Performance art can be any situation that involves four basic elements: time, space, the performer's body and a relationship between performer and audience. It is opposed to painting or sculpture, for example, where an object constitutes the work."
-www.wikipedia.com

Observing the career of Yves Klein, a French artist who co-founded the new realism movement, you can see that he uses performance art to assist his audiences in understanding the ideas behind his works, as well as to allow them to witness first-hand the processes used to create them (often part of the meaning). Though Klein displayed musical compositions, paintings, and books(all objects which normally constitute the work), he stripped them of what was expected (paintings would have no images, books no words, etc.). This was best witnessed through performance, and was done with the intent of emphasizing the imprint of his subjects, as well as to mix theoretical with philosophical concepts/ideas. Klein's most famous works included his blue monochromes, his anthropometries, and his voids - empty areas he would sell for gold (which would later be thrown away in a river).


Sources: YvesKlein.com, Wikipedia.com