Yves Klein and Judo as a Sport and an Art

In this article I develop three philosophical suppositions that link art and sport, in particular the martial arts of Judo. These suppositions, namely the integration of mind-and body; imagination and the trans-verbal or ineffable are then applied to a reading of the art of Yves Klein, who himself was also an expert judoka. The article suggests that art and aesthetics in general is pervasive and finds expression in sports, a thesis that is not new and has emerged as the so-named aesthetics of the everyday. What is perhaps new is the specific application of art to the realm of sport and thus the appellation “martial arts” is apt.

Keywords: art; judo; Yves Klein; mind-and-body.