Jeff KOONS (born in 1955)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Sculpture USA Bouquet Animals Cats
Chronology : 1980-1989 1986 1988 21st century 2000-2009 2000 2004 2006 2010-2019
See also : Sculpture USA Bouquet Animals Cats
Chronology : 1980-1989 1986 1988 21st century 2000-2009 2000 2004 2006 2010-2019
1986 Rabbit
2019 SOLD for $ 91M by Christie's
Jeff Koons began his artist's career by gathering casts and ready-mades in solo and group exhibitions. In 1979 Inflatables assembles vinyl flowers with mirrors. He exhibits Equilibrium in 1983 and Luxury and Degradation including the Jim Beam train in 1986.
With Statuary in 1986 and Banality in 1988, Koons pushes kitsch to the rank of a major art : his unlimited exploitation of the consumer society is ultra-modernist, in the wake of the everyday objects hugely increased by Oldenburg.
Statuary includes ten stainless steel sculptures. The terrible banality of this group is broken by the two highest pieces in a total opposition of style : a bust of Louis XIV 117 cm high and a rabbit 104 cm high. With this Rabbit, Koons makes a great promotion for his own art. The closest antecedent is the unique Bunny which had slipped into his previous series of inflatable flowers.
The new rabbit has smooth forms and no face. It brings up to the position of its mouth a carrot in which some visitors see a sexual symbol, an impression reinforced by the information that the steel had been molded over an inflatable doll. The spectators satisfy their own ego by contemplating themselves in the mirror-like surface of the rabbit. The artist's statements complacently maintain all these ambiguities.
After this great success of his rabbit, Koons appreciates that other figures or toys much stylized and disproportionately enlarged will have a considerable impact on the public. His Celebrations, designed from 1994 in a range of colors, will offer a similar mirror effect.
Rabbit was edited in three units plus one artist's proof. Number 2/3 was sold for $ 91M from a lower estimate of $ 50M by Christie's on May 15, 2019, lot 15 B. The Louis XIV artist's proof was sold for $ 10.8M by Christie's on May 13, 2015.
With Statuary in 1986 and Banality in 1988, Koons pushes kitsch to the rank of a major art : his unlimited exploitation of the consumer society is ultra-modernist, in the wake of the everyday objects hugely increased by Oldenburg.
Statuary includes ten stainless steel sculptures. The terrible banality of this group is broken by the two highest pieces in a total opposition of style : a bust of Louis XIV 117 cm high and a rabbit 104 cm high. With this Rabbit, Koons makes a great promotion for his own art. The closest antecedent is the unique Bunny which had slipped into his previous series of inflatable flowers.
The new rabbit has smooth forms and no face. It brings up to the position of its mouth a carrot in which some visitors see a sexual symbol, an impression reinforced by the information that the steel had been molded over an inflatable doll. The spectators satisfy their own ego by contemplating themselves in the mirror-like surface of the rabbit. The artist's statements complacently maintain all these ambiguities.
After this great success of his rabbit, Koons appreciates that other figures or toys much stylized and disproportionately enlarged will have a considerable impact on the public. His Celebrations, designed from 1994 in a range of colors, will offer a similar mirror effect.
Rabbit was edited in three units plus one artist's proof. Number 2/3 was sold for $ 91M from a lower estimate of $ 50M by Christie's on May 15, 2019, lot 15 B. The Louis XIV artist's proof was sold for $ 10.8M by Christie's on May 13, 2015.
1986 Jim Beam Train
1
2014 SOLD for $ 34M by Christie's
Before exploring the universal themes through his Celebrations, Jeff Koons had reused the most kitsch images of America. Introducing ready-mades and toys in art exhibitions is not a glorification of the trivial but an invitation to Americans to flush out the unspoken or even unspeakable depths of their culture.
In 1986 Jeff prepares his second solo exhibition, Luxury and Degradation, a title that is by itself the key to his artistic approach. The theme is alcohol, which had put so much trouble to the Americans before and during Prohibition. Reproductions of old advertisements were exhibited to exacerbate the danger of consumerism.
The central work of Luxury and Degradation is a toy train on rails 2.90 m long cast in stainless steel. Jeff made it from a plastic and porcelain train used as a decanter of bourbon by the Jim Beam brand.
The Jim Beam JB Turner Train by Jeff Koons includes the steam-type locomotive from the old days of the Wild West with six wagons. It is loaded with some Jim Beam bourbon, hidden to the public, thereby reactivating the frustration of the drinkers during Prohibition. Built in 1867, the so named John B. Turner locomotive was a legend of the Wild West.
The material used by Koons is interesting for two reasons. Stainless steel is a reminder of the growth of American industry and of the fortune of Carnegie. Its impeccable polishing is the beginning of the exploration by Koons of the artistic strength of perfect metal surfaces. His first steel Rabbit imitating an inflatable toy dates from the same year.
The train was edited in three units, plus an artist's proof. The tax stamps for the alcohol were affixed by the Jim Beam company. The artist's proof was sold for $ 34M by Christie's on May 13, 2014, lot 28. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In 1986 Jeff prepares his second solo exhibition, Luxury and Degradation, a title that is by itself the key to his artistic approach. The theme is alcohol, which had put so much trouble to the Americans before and during Prohibition. Reproductions of old advertisements were exhibited to exacerbate the danger of consumerism.
The central work of Luxury and Degradation is a toy train on rails 2.90 m long cast in stainless steel. Jeff made it from a plastic and porcelain train used as a decanter of bourbon by the Jim Beam brand.
The Jim Beam JB Turner Train by Jeff Koons includes the steam-type locomotive from the old days of the Wild West with six wagons. It is loaded with some Jim Beam bourbon, hidden to the public, thereby reactivating the frustration of the drinkers during Prohibition. Built in 1867, the so named John B. Turner locomotive was a legend of the Wild West.
The material used by Koons is interesting for two reasons. Stainless steel is a reminder of the growth of American industry and of the fortune of Carnegie. Its impeccable polishing is the beginning of the exploration by Koons of the artistic strength of perfect metal surfaces. His first steel Rabbit imitating an inflatable toy dates from the same year.
The train was edited in three units, plus an artist's proof. The tax stamps for the alcohol were affixed by the Jim Beam company. The artist's proof was sold for $ 34M by Christie's on May 13, 2014, lot 28. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
2
2022 SOLD for $ 17M by Christie's
From the same edition as the example above, the 3/3 of Jim Beam JB Turner Train, Stainless steel and bourbon 28 x 290 x 16.5 cm made in 1986 by Koons, was sold for $ 17M by Christie's on November 17, 2022, lot 115.
1988 Pink Panther
2011 SOLD for $ 17M by Sotheby's
Jeff Koons became famous in 1988 by projecting into art his idea of the kitsch. His Pink Panther is an archetype. Appropriation, banality, false innocence, humor in the style of Playboy magazine : all these features enable to qualify this sculpture as iconic.
A young blonde woman is shown at mid-length, naked above the waist (but dressed below). She is closely pressing the pink panther on her breast.
This embracing couple is not Rodin's Kiss : it indeed has humor in addition. The contrast is striking between the ecstatic attitude of the pin-up blonde and the boring mood of the animal wondering if he really did well in superseding Teddy Bear for the outbursts of feelings of his partner.
It is a porcelain group 1.04 meter high, life size, in an edition of three plus the artist proof which was sold for $ 17M by Sotheby's on May 10, 2011, lot 10, and for $ 16M by Christie's on November 12, 2014.
Let me add a word to my French speaking friends who often believe that the Pink Panther is a female due to an ambiguity in the French language. This character is a male in his adventures in comics and movies, and there is no homosexual message in this masterpiece of Koons.
The Banality exhibition happened in the fall of 1988 in Cologne, New York and Chicago, each one featuring a Pink Panther. Another risque artwork of Banality is Woman in Tub, a porcelain 60 x 71 x 89 cm also edited in 1988 in 3 units plus an artist's proof. The 3/3 passed at Sotheby's on November 21, 2024, lot 25. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
After the great success of his two breakthrough exhibitions, Statuary in 1986 and Banality in 1988, Jeff Koons appreciates that other figures or toys much stylized and disproportionately enlarged will have a considerable impact on the public. That deliberate kitsch assault on taste is intended to please the bourgeois.
Large Vase of Flowers, a polychromed wood 132 x 110 x 110 cm, was edited in 1991 in three units plus one artist's proof in a top European sculpture craftsmanship. The kitsch effect is brought by large size, cartoonish exaggeration and buoyant colors. The artist's proof was sold for $ 8.2M by Christie's on November 20, 2024, lot 11B.
The Made in Heaven exhibition was held simultaneously from November 1991 in Cologne and New York. The artist's proof was exhibited in Cologne. Heaven was an attempt to stage Adam and Eve in a lush surrounding of flowers through pictures of explicit sex of the artist with his risque newlywed wife Cicciolina. In that sense Koons' vase of flowers is an appeal for procreation.
A young blonde woman is shown at mid-length, naked above the waist (but dressed below). She is closely pressing the pink panther on her breast.
This embracing couple is not Rodin's Kiss : it indeed has humor in addition. The contrast is striking between the ecstatic attitude of the pin-up blonde and the boring mood of the animal wondering if he really did well in superseding Teddy Bear for the outbursts of feelings of his partner.
It is a porcelain group 1.04 meter high, life size, in an edition of three plus the artist proof which was sold for $ 17M by Sotheby's on May 10, 2011, lot 10, and for $ 16M by Christie's on November 12, 2014.
Let me add a word to my French speaking friends who often believe that the Pink Panther is a female due to an ambiguity in the French language. This character is a male in his adventures in comics and movies, and there is no homosexual message in this masterpiece of Koons.
The Banality exhibition happened in the fall of 1988 in Cologne, New York and Chicago, each one featuring a Pink Panther. Another risque artwork of Banality is Woman in Tub, a porcelain 60 x 71 x 89 cm also edited in 1988 in 3 units plus an artist's proof. The 3/3 passed at Sotheby's on November 21, 2024, lot 25. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
After the great success of his two breakthrough exhibitions, Statuary in 1986 and Banality in 1988, Jeff Koons appreciates that other figures or toys much stylized and disproportionately enlarged will have a considerable impact on the public. That deliberate kitsch assault on taste is intended to please the bourgeois.
Large Vase of Flowers, a polychromed wood 132 x 110 x 110 cm, was edited in 1991 in three units plus one artist's proof in a top European sculpture craftsmanship. The kitsch effect is brought by large size, cartoonish exaggeration and buoyant colors. The artist's proof was sold for $ 8.2M by Christie's on November 20, 2024, lot 11B.
The Made in Heaven exhibition was held simultaneously from November 1991 in Cologne and New York. The artist's proof was exhibited in Cologne. Heaven was an attempt to stage Adam and Eve in a lush surrounding of flowers through pictures of explicit sex of the artist with his risque newlywed wife Cicciolina. In that sense Koons' vase of flowers is an appeal for procreation.
Celebrations
1
2000 Balloon Dog
2013 SOLD for $ 58M by Christie's
After exploiting the stupidity of the contemporary symbols conveyed by the popular imaging, Jeff Koons conceives in 1994 his great series of Celebrations.
Inspired by the preparation of a calendar, Jeff Koons designs in 1994 and 1995 monumental sculptures to be edited in five units of different colors, each version thus becoming unique. The sizes are monumental. The about 26 themes are simple and symbolic enough to be understood anywhere in the world regardless of the culture of the visitor.
Celebrations are made in chromium plated stainless steel covered with a transparent colored coating, a process specially developed to offer an intense reflectivity in a perfect smoothness of all the curves. This finish of pure color interacts with the exhibition environment through an intense mirror effect for which the artist seeks perfection.
The project requires technological developments and the delays accumulate, leading the workshop to the brink of bankruptcy.
The monochrome subjects, arguably less difficult to realize, were the first to be completed, in 1999 and 2000. They are the diamond, hanging heart, balloon flower and balloon dog.
The Balloon Flower and the Balloon Dog are constructed in rounded shapes that reflect their environment in all directions. Looking more like a toy than like its animal or vegetal model, it appears as a symbol of happy childhood. The bright orange specimen is joyful.
Koons also wanted this series to be a break from traditional art and designated his Balloon Dog as a Trojan horse. Almost twenty years later, the prestige of the series shows that he was right.
Balloon Dog (Orange) was sold for $ 58M from a lower estimate of $ 35M by Christie 's on November 12, 2013. Measuring 307 x 363 x 114 cm, this sculpture was completed in 2000. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
One of the earliest completed opuses was the Balloon Flower (Blue), supplied as early as 1999 to an artistic foundation managed by Daimler. It was sold for $ 17M on 10 November 10, 2010 by Christie's.
On June 30, 2008, Christie's sold for £ 12.9M the Balloon Flower (Magenta), dated 1995-2000, of towering dimensions (340 x 285 x 260 cm), lot 12. The photo in the catalog shows this cumbersome thing simply laying on water in a park.
On November 13, 2007, Christie's sold for $ 11.8M the Diamond (Blue) dated 1994-2005, measuring 198 x 220 x 220 cm.
Inspired by the preparation of a calendar, Jeff Koons designs in 1994 and 1995 monumental sculptures to be edited in five units of different colors, each version thus becoming unique. The sizes are monumental. The about 26 themes are simple and symbolic enough to be understood anywhere in the world regardless of the culture of the visitor.
Celebrations are made in chromium plated stainless steel covered with a transparent colored coating, a process specially developed to offer an intense reflectivity in a perfect smoothness of all the curves. This finish of pure color interacts with the exhibition environment through an intense mirror effect for which the artist seeks perfection.
The project requires technological developments and the delays accumulate, leading the workshop to the brink of bankruptcy.
The monochrome subjects, arguably less difficult to realize, were the first to be completed, in 1999 and 2000. They are the diamond, hanging heart, balloon flower and balloon dog.
The Balloon Flower and the Balloon Dog are constructed in rounded shapes that reflect their environment in all directions. Looking more like a toy than like its animal or vegetal model, it appears as a symbol of happy childhood. The bright orange specimen is joyful.
Koons also wanted this series to be a break from traditional art and designated his Balloon Dog as a Trojan horse. Almost twenty years later, the prestige of the series shows that he was right.
Balloon Dog (Orange) was sold for $ 58M from a lower estimate of $ 35M by Christie 's on November 12, 2013. Measuring 307 x 363 x 114 cm, this sculpture was completed in 2000. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
One of the earliest completed opuses was the Balloon Flower (Blue), supplied as early as 1999 to an artistic foundation managed by Daimler. It was sold for $ 17M on 10 November 10, 2010 by Christie's.
On June 30, 2008, Christie's sold for £ 12.9M the Balloon Flower (Magenta), dated 1995-2000, of towering dimensions (340 x 285 x 260 cm), lot 12. The photo in the catalog shows this cumbersome thing simply laying on water in a park.
On November 13, 2007, Christie's sold for $ 11.8M the Diamond (Blue) dated 1994-2005, measuring 198 x 220 x 220 cm.
2
2004 Tulips
2012 SOLD for $ 33.7M by Christie's
The other themes planned by Koons present additional difficulties that are gradually overcome. In 2004 Tulips is the first multi-color assembly, also in five different color versions.
On November 14, 2012, Christie's sold at lot 38 for $ 33.7M an example of Tulips, which is an even more complex step in the development of the art of Koons. Please watch the video featured by Christie's, in which the artist himself introduces this artwork.
The subject, a bouquet of seven flowers placed on a surface, is simple and universally recognizable, like all other themes in the Celebrations. The artwork, completed in 2004, can not go unnoticed: 203 x 457 x 520 cm. It weighs 3 tons.
The tulips within the bouquet are of different colors, so that the interaction of their reflections covers the entire spectrum of light. The work was carried out in five units with different arrangements of colors, extrapolating the logics of the previous Celebrations, and the reflection of the surroundings and of the public remains an essential element of the exhibition of the artwork.
On November 14, 2012, Christie's sold at lot 38 for $ 33.7M an example of Tulips, which is an even more complex step in the development of the art of Koons. Please watch the video featured by Christie's, in which the artist himself introduces this artwork.
The subject, a bouquet of seven flowers placed on a surface, is simple and universally recognizable, like all other themes in the Celebrations. The artwork, completed in 2004, can not go unnoticed: 203 x 457 x 520 cm. It weighs 3 tons.
The tulips within the bouquet are of different colors, so that the interaction of their reflections covers the entire spectrum of light. The work was carried out in five units with different arrangements of colors, extrapolating the logics of the previous Celebrations, and the reflection of the surroundings and of the public remains an essential element of the exhibition of the artwork.
3
2006 Hanging Heart
2007 SOLD for $ 23.6M by Sotheby's
In 2006 the Koons workshop succeeds in producing complex shapes including the Hanging heart with its fragile ribbon.
On November 14, 2007, Sotheby's sold for $ 23.6M from a lower estimate of $ 15M the Hanging Heart Magenta / Gold 296 x 216 x 102 cm, lot 14. This piece is from a series in five versions in chromium stainless steel covered with a transparent colored coating. It is dated 1994-2006.
Despite its huge dimensions, that heart is designed to be hanged, and the apparent lightness of this monster makes it a technical feat. The heart is decorated with gilded brass knots that look a bit like a gift package.
Sacred Heart is a bicolore Celebration. 360 cm high, it is put on its base by the tip of the heart. The Magenta / Gold version, completed in 2007, was sold for HK $ 61M by Christie's on May 28, 2023, lot 81.
On November 14, 2007, Sotheby's sold for $ 23.6M from a lower estimate of $ 15M the Hanging Heart Magenta / Gold 296 x 216 x 102 cm, lot 14. This piece is from a series in five versions in chromium stainless steel covered with a transparent colored coating. It is dated 1994-2006.
Despite its huge dimensions, that heart is designed to be hanged, and the apparent lightness of this monster makes it a technical feat. The heart is decorated with gilded brass knots that look a bit like a gift package.
Sacred Heart is a bicolore Celebration. 360 cm high, it is put on its base by the tip of the heart. The Magenta / Gold version, completed in 2007, was sold for HK $ 61M by Christie's on May 28, 2023, lot 81.
4
2006 Cracked Egg
2014 SOLD for £ 14M by Christie's
With his series of Celebrations designed in 1994, Jeff Koons is one of very few contemporary artists who have managed to express joy. The Balloon Dog is a perfect example.
In 2006 the Cracked egg split in two parts is the first installation. The overturned egg's top placed on the floor moves the artist who compares this work with the shell of the Birth of Venus by Botticelli.
Made in five units of different colors like all the works of this series, Cracked egg is one of the simplest, strongest and most universal symbols. It is the normal fate of an egg to be broken, if it remains intact it is useless. Koons dedicated to his young son that symbol of birth.
The two elements 165 x 159 x 159 cm and 100 x 159 x 159 cm are empty with a silvery inner surface. The cracked edges have irregular shapes that would match together without gaps. The thinness of the walls is visible, contrary to all the previous themes, adding an impression of delicacy. It was one of the most difficult to realize, first by the sawtooth edge of both elements, and mainly by the need to obtain a perfectly polished surface both outside (colored) and inside (silvered).
Completed in 2006, the magenta Cracked egg is as sumptuous as a gorgeous Easter egg. It was sold for £ 14M by Christie's on February 13, 2014.
In 2006 the Cracked egg split in two parts is the first installation. The overturned egg's top placed on the floor moves the artist who compares this work with the shell of the Birth of Venus by Botticelli.
Made in five units of different colors like all the works of this series, Cracked egg is one of the simplest, strongest and most universal symbols. It is the normal fate of an egg to be broken, if it remains intact it is useless. Koons dedicated to his young son that symbol of birth.
The two elements 165 x 159 x 159 cm and 100 x 159 x 159 cm are empty with a silvery inner surface. The cracked edges have irregular shapes that would match together without gaps. The thinness of the walls is visible, contrary to all the previous themes, adding an impression of delicacy. It was one of the most difficult to realize, first by the sawtooth edge of both elements, and mainly by the need to obtain a perfectly polished surface both outside (colored) and inside (silvered).
Completed in 2006, the magenta Cracked egg is as sumptuous as a gorgeous Easter egg. It was sold for £ 14M by Christie's on February 13, 2014.
5
2014 Play-Doh
2018 SOLD for $ 23M by Christie's
The original artist is a toddler named Ludwig Koons. He plays to triturate Play-Doh multicolored modeling clay, a trademark of Hasbro. Posterity has forever retained this dialogue with his father : Ludwig: "Daddy !" Jeff: "What ?" Ludwig: "Voilà !".
The story takes place in 1994 when Jeff Koons is conceiving as a whole his series of Celebrations. Ludwig's achievement is a formless mound but composed of bright and varied colors. Jeff is not an abstract artist. It does not matter. He will justify the insertion of Play-Doh in his list of Celebrations by the fact that it is a toy that will remind for the visitor the happiness of childhood.
The expectation lasted until 2014 when Play-Doh was released in five copies with different color configurations according to the immutable process for this series. Composed of 27 painted aluminum plates, it measures 315 x 387 x 348 cm, slightly higher than the Balloon Dog.
The delay was long but Jeff Koons turns it to his advantage : it was necessary that the joining of the plates and the surface finish reach perfection. It is true that this surface simulating the impact of touch by the fingers of the toddler is the most complex of the Celebration series. An early trial in polyethylene had not given him satisfaction.
One of the five Play-Dohs was sold for $ 23M by Christie's in New York on May 17, 2018, lot 12 B. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where the lot is discussed by Jeff Koons.
The story takes place in 1994 when Jeff Koons is conceiving as a whole his series of Celebrations. Ludwig's achievement is a formless mound but composed of bright and varied colors. Jeff is not an abstract artist. It does not matter. He will justify the insertion of Play-Doh in his list of Celebrations by the fact that it is a toy that will remind for the visitor the happiness of childhood.
The expectation lasted until 2014 when Play-Doh was released in five copies with different color configurations according to the immutable process for this series. Composed of 27 painted aluminum plates, it measures 315 x 387 x 348 cm, slightly higher than the Balloon Dog.
The delay was long but Jeff Koons turns it to his advantage : it was necessary that the joining of the plates and the surface finish reach perfection. It is true that this surface simulating the impact of touch by the fingers of the toddler is the most complex of the Celebration series. An early trial in polyethylene had not given him satisfaction.
One of the five Play-Dohs was sold for $ 23M by Christie's in New York on May 17, 2018, lot 12 B. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where the lot is discussed by Jeff Koons.
2011 Popeye
2014 SOLD for $ 28M by Sotheby's
The series of the Celebrations brought to the art of Koons a universal language and a flawless and inimitable technique, with its pure colors in transparent coating onto a perfectly polished stainless steel. A come back to American kitsch was tempting. Koons highlighted Popeye.
This is a clever choice. The image of Popeye, created in 1929, is recognized worldwide. This character has a gruff and whimsical behavior that appeals to Americans. He is never completely caught by his stupidity offset by a large dose of sentimentality.
Popeye would not exist without his spinach box, which provides him with oversized forearms and an invincible strength. Koons notes that spinach transforms this character same as art transforms the reality of life. Popeye is the precursor of these superhuman heroes led by Superman who managed to brighten the Americans at the height of the Great Depression.
His name is an allusion to his pirate eye. Meanwhile, the pop art has gone. Koons offers a sign of connivence to pop art that is indeed a tribute to his predecessors Warhol, Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos.
As for the Celebrations, the figure has two dates, from design to completion. This 2 m high Popeye, dated 2009-2011, was edited in four units plus one artist's proof.
One of them was sold for $ 28M by Sotheby's on May 14, 2014. Please watch the video prepared by the auction house.
This is a clever choice. The image of Popeye, created in 1929, is recognized worldwide. This character has a gruff and whimsical behavior that appeals to Americans. He is never completely caught by his stupidity offset by a large dose of sentimentality.
Popeye would not exist without his spinach box, which provides him with oversized forearms and an invincible strength. Koons notes that spinach transforms this character same as art transforms the reality of life. Popeye is the precursor of these superhuman heroes led by Superman who managed to brighten the Americans at the height of the Great Depression.
His name is an allusion to his pirate eye. Meanwhile, the pop art has gone. Koons offers a sign of connivence to pop art that is indeed a tribute to his predecessors Warhol, Lichtenstein and Mel Ramos.
As for the Celebrations, the figure has two dates, from design to completion. This 2 m high Popeye, dated 2009-2011, was edited in four units plus one artist's proof.
One of them was sold for $ 28M by Sotheby's on May 14, 2014. Please watch the video prepared by the auction house.
