Quick overview
The story behind YInMn Blue and why it matters
• What makes this blue different from ultramarine and cobalt
• Why it is so scarce and costly
• How I plan to use it in upcoming work
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An accidental discovery
In 2009, chemist Mas Subramanian and his graduate student Andrew Smith at Oregon State University were not looking for a colour at all. Their work was focused on electronic materials, experimenting with combinations of elements that might improve conductivity. In the middle of that research, a sample came out of the furnace with an unexpected result: a fragment of crystal glowing in a vivid, almost impossible blue.
The elements responsible were yttrium, indium, and manganese. Together they formed a crystal structure that reflected light in a way no one had seen before. The colour was not a subtle shift or a variation on something familiar. It was entirely new. Stable under heat, safe to handle, and visually intense, it stood apart from the fragile blues of the past that often faded, darkened, or carried toxicity.
That accident marked the beginning of the first new inorganic blue in more than two centuries. What had started as a materials experiment quickly revealed itself as something larger, a pigment that would reshape both colour science and the possibilities available to artists.
What makes this blue different
Plenty of pigments look beautiful in a swatch. Not many stay that way over time. YInMn Blue stands out because of how its structure behaves. Manganese ions arranged just so create a deep, clean hue that reads as a true blue rather than sliding toward violet or green. The same structure reflects near-infrared light, so surfaces painted with it stay cooler in the sun. That matters in coatings and architecture, and it matters to artists who want permanence. On the palette, it lives between ultramarine and cobalt, with the warmth and opacity that make skies, water, and shadow feel grounded, not fragile.
Scarcity and value
This pigment is rare because the materials required are costly and production remains limited. For years it was locked away in laboratories and industry. When small batches finally reached artists, the price reflected that scarcity. A single tube can cost several times more than what most of us already consider expensive paint. When I managed to secure four tubes, it felt like holding a piece of history. Centuries ago, ultramarine was ground from lapis mined in distant mountains and reserved only for the most significant works. YInMn Blue carries that same sense of rarity, shaped not by ancient trade but by modern science.
Why it matters in my studio
My work depends on colour. Movement, memory, and feeling all come through the pigments I use. A new blue with depth and permanence opens possibilities I did not have before. When I first opened a tube, I thought of Picasso’s Blue Period and the limits of the pigments available to him. Ideas drive the work, but materials shape it just as much.
In my paintings, this blue is not a novelty. I see it in skies that still hold light. In water with weight and gravity. In abstract passages where clarity matters most. It gives me a register I could not reach until now.
The reach of this pigment goes further than the studio. Its reflective qualities make it useful in design, where cooler surfaces can lower energy use. The same research that created this blue has already led to new greens, purples, and oranges built on the same structure. Few colours move so easily between science, art, and the built environment. YInMn Blue does.
Notes for collectors
If you enjoy the art side of painting and want to understand how materials change the work, I put together a Fine Art Print Sample Pack that compares museum paper, canvas, and professional, archival-quality dye-sublimation metal panels. It ships free worldwide and pairs well with an eGift card for someone choosing their first piece. If you have questions about materials or framing, reply to this post and I will help.
P.S. If you want to see where this blue lands first, subscribe for the studio note. If you know someone who loves colour, share this with them and tell me what blue you keep returning to in your own life.
For more information, please check out these links:
https://chemistry.oregonstate.edu/chemistry-news-events/yinmn-blue
https://justpaint.org/yinmn-blue/
https://goldenartistcolors.com/news/new-yinmn-blue
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=405127556741940
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YInMn_Blue
…And if you love colour as much as me, I highly recommend this book:
“The Secret Lives of Color” by Kassia St Clair
The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso’s blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history.
In this book, Kassia St. Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colours and where they come from (whether Van Gogh’s chrome yellow sunflowers or punk’s fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilization. Across fashion and politics, art and war, the secret lives of colour tell the vivid story of our culture.
