Highly Anticipated Yves Klein Exhibition Drives Hirshhorn's First iPhone App

NEW YORK, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden announced the release of a mobile application for "Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers," the first major retrospective of the artist's work in the United States in nearly 30 years. This is the first mobile application offered to the public by a Smithsonian art museum, representing a commitment to technology that enriches the experience of visitors on- and off-site.

The Klein application is available in the iTunes App Store for download globally at a price of $1.99. It provides users with a full overview of the exhibition, highlighting images of selected artworks alongside video and quotes from the artist himself, giving insight into Klein's concepts and process. The application is arranged like a tour through the exhibition, which opened May 20 and is on display through Sept. 12. A preview of the application is accessible here: http://a.toura.com/635.

"We launched the Yves Klein iPhone application to give our visitors, and art fans globally, an interactive way to experience this one-of-a-kind exhibition," said Richard Koshalek, director of the museum. "The distribution of our application allows people around the world to engage with the Yves Klein show through their smartphones."

Klein (French, b. Nice, 1928; d. Paris, 1962) is one of the 20th century's most influential artists. He took the European art scene by storm in a prolific but brief career that lasted only from 1954 to 1962. The Hirshhorn is the opening venue for this landmark retrospective, co-organized with the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. The exhibition features examples from all of Klein's major series, including his Anthropometries, Cosmogonies, Fire Paintings, planetary reliefs and blue monochromes, as well as selections of his lesser-known gold monochromes, pink monochromes, sponge reliefs and immaterial works and examples of "Air Architecture." The installation also presents arrays of ephemera that demonstrate the full extent of Klein's creativity, including sketches, photographs, letters, writings and several films—both performances and documentaries.

Using Toura for its iPhone application demonstrates the Hirshhorn's ongoing commitment to educating and empowering a global audience in an increasingly information-driven culture. With Toura's application technology, the museum will be able to offer smartphone tours for additional exhibitions in the future. Upon the successful launch of this iPhone app, the Hirshhorn, in conjunction with Toura, will make the application available on other platforms and via other sellers, including Google's Android Marketplace.

About Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian Institution's museum of international modern and contemporary art, has nearly 12,000 paintings, sculptures, mixed-media installations, works on paper and new media works in its collection. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs that explore the art of our time. Located at Independence Avenue and Seventh Street S.W., the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (except Dec. 25). Admission to the galleries and special programs is free. For more information about exhibitions and events, please visit hirshhorn.si.edu. To request accessibility services, please contact Kristy Maruca at [email protected] or (202) 633-2796, preferably two weeks in advance.

About Toura

Toura is creating the leading technology platform for the efficient and cost-effective creation and launch of smartphone-based mobile guides for the travel and tourism industry and its customers around the world. Toura mobile guides entertain and educate on-site and off-site visitors to a broad range of travel and tour attractions, including museums, galleries, zoos, parks, historic sites, trails, stadiums, universities and others. Toura is headquartered in New York and has operations across the United States and Europe.

SOURCE The Hirshhorn Museum; Toura