Jeff Koons is an American artist known for his work dealing with pop culture and his sculptures depicting everyday objects, notably balloon animals made of highly polished stainless steel. He was also an early pioneer of a practice known as ‘appropriation.’
Koons was an early pioneer of appropriation, which comprised reproducing commercial images with slight modifications. Some of his most notable works are:
Michael Jackson and Bubbles | Jeff Koons
This impeccable work of art has a significant amount of gold used in it to reference the Medieval religious statues. He does so in an attempt to draw a parallel between religious zeal and modern celebrity worship. It also alludes to Andy Warhol’s Gold Marilyn Monroe in the sense that this work also immortalizes the subject’s celebrity status while reminding us of the steep price of fame.
Balloon Dog
This is one of those pieces that elicits the feeling of joy in the viewer, no matter his mental state at the time. Jeff Koons once remarked that he believed Balloon Dog to be “a very optimistic piece, it’s a balloon that a clown would maybe twist for you at a birthday party. But at the same time, it’s a Trojan Horse. There are other things here that are inside: maybe the sexuality of the piece.” The work is, in many ways, a physical manifestation of childhood innocence that is both incredible and naive at the same time. It allows one to reminisce his or her childhood, if only for a brief moment before the reality of the materialistic world of adults sets in. It forces us to think about how commerce has permeated every sphere of life by showing us the mirror opposite image.
Hulk (Organ) | Jeff Koons
The Hulk Elvis series is like a spiritual descendant of Jeff Koons’s earlier work as he continues to challenge preconceived notions of perception as he reveals a range of sculptures that look like inflatable toys but are actually made of stainless steel.
In this work the keys and other constituent elements protrude from the Hulk’s body creating a fully functional and powerful organ. The dual nature of this piece alludes to Asian gods who act as guardians and protectors but are also capable of unleashing chaos and untold horrors when angered.
Seated Ballerina
This work is part of Jeff Koons’s antiquity series and is a modern interpretation of Venus, the mythical Roman goddess of sex and fertility. The dancer’s pose is reminiscent of a traditional depiction of Venus, rooting the figure in historical precedent, but it is also visibly contemporary, merging past and present.
The work is based on a porcelain figurine by Ukrainian artist Oksana Zhnikrup, who made similar designs for mass production in the Soviet Union. However, this inspiration has also prompted questions about his own practice where multiple copies of the same work are produced using industrial processes in a warehouse in Upstate New York.
Play-Doh | Jeff Koons
Part of his Celebration series, this work appears to be made using big scraps of the famous modelling substance arranged in a haphazard fashion. However, in continuation of his theme to challenge perception and notions, it is actually made of 27 interlocking pieces that are no less than a marvel of modern engineering as the only adhesive that binds these pieces together is gravity!
This is a work that induces nostalgia of childhood in any person and, according to Jeff Koons, that was one of the intended objectives as this work was inspired by a similar sculpture from his own son which he was very proud of. The precise and magnificent manifestation of a Play-Doh sculpture also adds an element of irony and humour to the piece as one of the world’s most famous sculptors not only returns to a basic sculpture but also monumentalises it in the process.
Made in Heaven
Google defines iconic ‘as relating to or of the nature of an icon’. What constitutes an ‘icon’, however, is open to interpretation. Made in Heaven is a polarizing work that prompted even some die-hard fans of Jeff Koons to distance themselves from it. It features a series of photographs and sculptures depicting Koons in an assortment of compromising positions with his ex-wife and Italian porn star, Ilona Staller.
It is ‘iconic’ because it blurs the lines between erotic imagery and pornography. It sparked intense backlash because it was released at the height of the AIDS epidemic and because it was perceived as a slap in the face of the art establishment.
Three Ball 50/50 Tank (Two Dr. J. Silver Series, One Wilson Supershot), 1985
Although, Jeff Koons had acquired some fame prior to it, his first solo exhibition featuring this work along with the Monument at New York in 1985 caused his popularity to skyrocket and cemented his status as a powerful artistic voice.
Featuring three basketballs, the epitome of American sports ideal, half submerged in a half-filled vessel of water, the work gives out calm and scientific vibrations that are eerie with the kinetic and chaotic nature of the sport of Basketball. Suspended in a moment of aesthetic and symbolic transfiguration, Three Ball 50/50 tank takes on a mysterious and unattainable quality.
Bouquet of Tulips, 2019 | Jeff Koons
The bouquet of tulips is commemorative work created by Jeff Koons in honor of the victims of terrorist attacks in France in 2015 and 2016. He had created this upon request from the United States Ambassador to France at the time.
However, he courted controversy when he left the costs for installation and transportation up to the French. Subsequently, he announced that 80 percent of the proceeds from the sale of copyrights to the work would go to the victim’s families and the rest towards its maintenance. The venue for the 37-ton sculpture was also the topic of intense debate in French politics.
Gazing Ball (Perugino Madonna and Child with Four Saints), 2014-15
Each work in the Gazing Ball series features a blue glass gazing ball that sits on an aluminium shelf attached to the front of a famous painting by great artists of the past such as Titian, Courbet and Manet.
Both the painting and the viewer are reflected in the ball creating a moment of maximum sensory perception and connection between the viewer and the famous works that form an integral part of our culture and the past.
Rabbit, 1986
One of his instantly recognizable works, Rabbit fuses minimalism with a childish sense of play. Its lack of facial features renders it inscrutable yet its form and pose evoke a sense of fun in the viewer. The carrot is wielded more as a weapon than a vegetable.
Made of expensive stainless steel and standing at just over 3 ft in height, it fetched more than 91 million dollars in an auction, a record for a living artist at the time.
Conclusion | Jeff Koons
Jeff Koons is a powerful and polarising figures in the world of art. He has also stretched the definition of ownership as his works are made in a large warehouse by his employees. Reviews of his work range from ‘pioneering and of importance to art history’ to ‘crass, cheap and rooted in cynical self merchandising.’ Whatever maybe the case, he has carved out a niche for himself in the art world and made sure that he will be remembered for a long time.
REFERENCES LIST:
- Harrow, L., 2021. The 10 Most Famous Artworks of Jeff Koons – niood. [online] niood. Available at: <https://niood.com/the-10-most-famous-artworks-of-jeff-koons/> [Accessed 8 August 2022].
- The Art Story. 2022. Jeff Koons Art, Bio, Ideas. [online] Available at: <https://www.theartstory.org/artist/koons-jeff/> [Accessed 8 August 2022].
- Metacult. 2022. Most Powerful Works By Jeff Koons – Metacult. [online] Available at: <https://www.theartist.me/art/7-influential-works-by-jeff-koons/> [Accessed 8 August 2022].
- 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/contemporary-art-evening-sale-n09141/lot.62.html> [Accessed 8 August 2022].
