Jeff KOONS (born in 1955)
See also : Sculpture Current art USA II Tabletop and still life Animals Cats Sport in art
Chronology : 1986 1988 2000-2009 2000 2006 2010 to now
Chronology : 1986 1988 2000-2009 2000 2006 2010 to now
1985 The Ready Made within the Impossible
2016 SOLD for $ 15.3M including premium
Jeff Koons is the star of current art since he creates what the audience wishes to see. He talks too much for the purpose that people will believe in the universality of his artistic message. With his perpetual smile, he acts as a rare example of an optimistic creator.
In 1977, aged 22, he begins by making kitsch scenes with toys and objects. On the following year he imagines inflatable flowers and rabbits and builds them in painted vinyl. In 1980 his first exhibition entitled The New is an application of the ready made conception in a simulated trade show of household electrical equipment.
He must now find an artifact and a theme that would appeal to visitors from all social classes. Basketball, this sport from yard to competition, meets this requirement by its ability to generate champions while using some very simple equipment.
He acquires balls of Spalding brand but it is not foregone to amaze the public with such everyday pieces. He decides to display them frozen in flight with no visible structure like in a sports photograph. Or like a cosmic planet.
This is of course not possible. Yet it happens. Dr. Feynman who was one of the most brilliant physicists of his time indicates him a chance. In 1985 after two years of trials, Koons puts his balls in aquariums filled successively with saturated salt water and pure water. The two densities do not mingle and the ball stands still at mid height of its showcase. After several weeks some maintenance will be required.
The Equilibrium exhibition is the first success for Jeff Koons. Its central work is a minimalist tank with a single ball. The technique is demythified by so called "50/50" tanks in which the ball floats at the same height on a visible surface of water. Bronzes and posters on the theme of basketball complete the appeal.
On May 8 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 21 A One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Spalding Dr. J Silver Series). On 12 May 2014 the same auction house had sold for $ 6.9 million including premium a similar artwork with two balls of the same type.
The Equilibrium Tanks mark the first encounter between Jeff Koons and advanced techniques, anticipating the development of the reflective layers of his Celebrations.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's.
In 1977, aged 22, he begins by making kitsch scenes with toys and objects. On the following year he imagines inflatable flowers and rabbits and builds them in painted vinyl. In 1980 his first exhibition entitled The New is an application of the ready made conception in a simulated trade show of household electrical equipment.
He must now find an artifact and a theme that would appeal to visitors from all social classes. Basketball, this sport from yard to competition, meets this requirement by its ability to generate champions while using some very simple equipment.
He acquires balls of Spalding brand but it is not foregone to amaze the public with such everyday pieces. He decides to display them frozen in flight with no visible structure like in a sports photograph. Or like a cosmic planet.
This is of course not possible. Yet it happens. Dr. Feynman who was one of the most brilliant physicists of his time indicates him a chance. In 1985 after two years of trials, Koons puts his balls in aquariums filled successively with saturated salt water and pure water. The two densities do not mingle and the ball stands still at mid height of its showcase. After several weeks some maintenance will be required.
The Equilibrium exhibition is the first success for Jeff Koons. Its central work is a minimalist tank with a single ball. The technique is demythified by so called "50/50" tanks in which the ball floats at the same height on a visible surface of water. Bronzes and posters on the theme of basketball complete the appeal.
On May 8 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 21 A One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Spalding Dr. J Silver Series). On 12 May 2014 the same auction house had sold for $ 6.9 million including premium a similar artwork with two balls of the same type.
The Equilibrium Tanks mark the first encounter between Jeff Koons and advanced techniques, anticipating the development of the reflective layers of his Celebrations.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's.
1986 The Train of Prohibition
2014 SOLD 34 M$ including premium
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 one-man 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.
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 its wagons. Each element is loaded with some Jim Beam bourbon, hidden to the public, thereby reactivating the frustration of the drinkers during Prohibition.
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 which will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 13. I invite you to play the video shared by the auction house.
POST SALE COMMENT
The bourbon train was sold for $ 34 M including premium.
In 1986 Jeff prepares his second one-man 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.
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 its wagons. Each element is loaded with some Jim Beam bourbon, hidden to the public, thereby reactivating the frustration of the drinkers during Prohibition.
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 which will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 13. I invite you to play the video shared by the auction house.
POST SALE COMMENT
The bourbon train was sold for $ 34 M including premium.
1988 The Artist's Proof of the Pink Panther
2011 SOLD for $ 16.9M including premium
2014 SOLD for $ 16M including premium
PRE 2014 SALE DISCUSSION
On May 10, 2011, Sotheby's sold for $ 16.9M including premium the artist's proof of the Pink Panther by Jeff Koons. This result went below the lower estimate of $ 20M which had been highly ambitious for a porcelain.
This piece is now listed in the evening sale of Christie's in New York on November 12 with an estimate range of $ 8M to 12M.
Here is my previous discussion :
Jeff Koons became famous in 1988 by projecting into art his idea of the kitsch. Precisely, the most complex and most famous of his works of these series comes for sale.
Upon such a prelude, the apologists of Koons understand that the theme of today is the Pink Panther. Look at it in the illustration of the press release shared by Artdaily (in 2011).
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. It is a porcelain group 1.04 meter high, life size, from an edition of three plus the artist proof coming in this sale.
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.
Appropriation, banality, false naivete, humor in the style of Playboy magazine : all these features enable to qualify this sculpture as iconic.
I add a word to my French speaking friends who often believe that the Pink Panther is a female due to of 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.
On May 10, 2011, Sotheby's sold for $ 16.9M including premium the artist's proof of the Pink Panther by Jeff Koons. This result went below the lower estimate of $ 20M which had been highly ambitious for a porcelain.
This piece is now listed in the evening sale of Christie's in New York on November 12 with an estimate range of $ 8M to 12M.
Here is my previous discussion :
Jeff Koons became famous in 1988 by projecting into art his idea of the kitsch. Precisely, the most complex and most famous of his works of these series comes for sale.
Upon such a prelude, the apologists of Koons understand that the theme of today is the Pink Panther. Look at it in the illustration of the press release shared by Artdaily (in 2011).
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. It is a porcelain group 1.04 meter high, life size, from an edition of three plus the artist proof coming in this sale.
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.
Appropriation, banality, false naivete, humor in the style of Playboy magazine : all these features enable to qualify this sculpture as iconic.
I add a word to my French speaking friends who often believe that the Pink Panther is a female due to of 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.
1999 Koons Flower in the City
2010 SOLD 16.9 M$ including premium
On November 10 in New York at Christie's, a lot will not go unnoticed: the Balloon Flower (Blue) by Jeff Koons.
It is primarily notable for its dimensions: 340 x 285 x 260 cm. Five Balloon Flowers were built from 1995 onwards, each one with a different color, and completed before 2000. Magenta was the subject of a discussion in this group when it was sold at Christie's London, £ 12.9 million including premium, on June 30, 2008.
These works are part of the series of Celebrations, giant sculptures based on simple figurative forms, which also include the Hanging Hearts, the Diamonds and the Balloon Dogs.
Made in chromium plated stainless steel, the Balloon Flower is coated with a transparent layer that generates a mirror effect. The blue specimen, delivered in 1999 to an artistic foundation managed by Daimler, has for ten years reflected the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.
Adding that it is estimated $ 12M and that the market is waiting it impatiently as the first major work by Koons sold at auction after the sellers' crisis of 2009, the present discussion could have ended there.
Fortunately, an excellent illustrated article shared by ARTINFO provides additional information that Christie's endorsed by tweeting the link on its own page.
The quality of finish, and therefore the uniformity of color and beauty of reflection, are essential to appreciate this work. After its ten years spent outside, Balloon Flower (Blue) could not be sold as is, according to the standards of Jeff Koons. It spent six months in its original workshop, the Arnold factory in Germany, for being reworked at the initiative of Christie's and under the supervision of the artist.
We are told that it became more beautiful than before, thanks to technological advances. The market will judge.
POST SALE COMMENT
The market has not significantly considered, either in one way or the other, the impact of the rework on the price. The result, $ 16.9 million including premium, is good, but will not mask the fact that the works of Koons are harder to sell than two years ago.
It is primarily notable for its dimensions: 340 x 285 x 260 cm. Five Balloon Flowers were built from 1995 onwards, each one with a different color, and completed before 2000. Magenta was the subject of a discussion in this group when it was sold at Christie's London, £ 12.9 million including premium, on June 30, 2008.
These works are part of the series of Celebrations, giant sculptures based on simple figurative forms, which also include the Hanging Hearts, the Diamonds and the Balloon Dogs.
Made in chromium plated stainless steel, the Balloon Flower is coated with a transparent layer that generates a mirror effect. The blue specimen, delivered in 1999 to an artistic foundation managed by Daimler, has for ten years reflected the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.
Adding that it is estimated $ 12M and that the market is waiting it impatiently as the first major work by Koons sold at auction after the sellers' crisis of 2009, the present discussion could have ended there.
Fortunately, an excellent illustrated article shared by ARTINFO provides additional information that Christie's endorsed by tweeting the link on its own page.
The quality of finish, and therefore the uniformity of color and beauty of reflection, are essential to appreciate this work. After its ten years spent outside, Balloon Flower (Blue) could not be sold as is, according to the standards of Jeff Koons. It spent six months in its original workshop, the Arnold factory in Germany, for being reworked at the initiative of Christie's and under the supervision of the artist.
We are told that it became more beautiful than before, thanks to technological advances. The market will judge.
POST SALE COMMENT
The market has not significantly considered, either in one way or the other, the impact of the rework on the price. The result, $ 16.9 million including premium, is good, but will not mask the fact that the works of Koons are harder to sell than two years ago.
2000 Celebration and Joy with Jeff Koons
2013 SOLD 58 M$ including premium
The series of the "Celebrations" was designed by Jeff Koons in 1994. The first themes, in five monochrome sculptures each made in a different color, cover universal symbols. Their monumental size invites to exhibition in prestigious locations. The perfect mirror of the surface is a technical feat.
Two specimens of the Balloon Flower were auctioned : £ 12.9 million including premium for the magenta by Christie's on 30 June 2008, $ 16.9 million including premium for the blue on 10 November 2010 also by Christie's.
Same as for the Balloon Flower, the Balloon Dog is an assembly of rounded shapes that reflect their environment in all directions. Looking more like a toy than like the animal that could serve as a 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) is estimated $ 35M for sale by Christie 's in New York on November 12. Measuring 307 x 363 x 114 cm, this sculpture was completed in 2000.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This remarkably cheerful artwork was introduced by Christie's as an icon of contemporary art. It was sold for $ 58M including premium.
Two specimens of the Balloon Flower were auctioned : £ 12.9 million including premium for the magenta by Christie's on 30 June 2008, $ 16.9 million including premium for the blue on 10 November 2010 also by Christie's.
Same as for the Balloon Flower, the Balloon Dog is an assembly of rounded shapes that reflect their environment in all directions. Looking more like a toy than like the animal that could serve as a 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) is estimated $ 35M for sale by Christie 's in New York on November 12. Measuring 307 x 363 x 114 cm, this sculpture was completed in 2000.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This remarkably cheerful artwork was introduced by Christie's as an icon of contemporary art. It was sold for $ 58M including premium.
2000 Jeff Koons loves Flowers
2008 SOLD 12.9 M£ including premium
Jeff Koons loves flowers. I am not the only one to say it, this opinion is also available in the catalogue of Christie's, at the number 12 from the sale of June 30 in London. Accordingly, the artist expressed this view in 2003: "I have always enjoyed flowers."
Coming from a private collection of Dallas, here is a Balloon Flower (Magenta), dated 1995-2000, of towering dimensions (340 x 285 x 260 cm). The photo in the catalog shows this thing simply laying on water in a park. The work is currently visible in St. James's Square, until the day before the sale.
Jeff Koons does not enjoy flowers only. He also enjoys that his main works display symbolic forms unequivocally recognizable by fans of all countries. He certainly also loves money, and everyone knows that monumental works reach the highest prices by far. These are indeed even higher when their colors are bright to be violent, and when their surface is shiny.
He performs this type of work in several copies, each in a different single color.
On 14 November last year, Sotheby's has sold for $ 23.5 million fees included a Hanging Heart Magenta / Gold, a work of 296 x 216 x 102 cm executed in five versions and dated 1994-2006 in chromium stainless steel covered with a transparent colored coating. Despite its huge dimensions, that heart is designed to be hanged, and it is this lightness of a monster that had been admired by specialists of Sotheby's, in a remarkable video that preceded the sale. The heart is decorated with gilded brass knots that look a bit like a gift package. As a coincidence, Balloon Flower is made of similar materials and also in five colors.
The day before, November 13, 2007, Christie's had sold for $ 11.8 million fees included a Diamond (Blue) of similar dates and materials, measuring 198 x 220 x 220 cm.
Unless a violent speculative effect, our Balloon Flower, static and less embellished, will not reach the price of Hanging Heart. The catalogue does not provide estimate, but it was sufficient to open the press release of June 10 to know that it is expected in the region of £ 12 million. We may find curious that this work of an American artist belonging to an American owner comes in London for being sold. I am told that London is closer to the Russian buyers than New York.
Christie's has provided a guarantee to the seller.
POST SALE COMMENT
Those who say that the market for contemporary art is unpredictable are wrong. Our Balloon Flower was sold £ 12.9 million charge included. This result is extremely close to the confidential estimate that I had the pleasure to tell you!
There is a much more interesting fact: Christie's says that this price is $ 25.6 million. In the 10% range, this price is the same as the Hanging Heart. I had shown above that these two works had many common features.
Coming from a private collection of Dallas, here is a Balloon Flower (Magenta), dated 1995-2000, of towering dimensions (340 x 285 x 260 cm). The photo in the catalog shows this thing simply laying on water in a park. The work is currently visible in St. James's Square, until the day before the sale.
Jeff Koons does not enjoy flowers only. He also enjoys that his main works display symbolic forms unequivocally recognizable by fans of all countries. He certainly also loves money, and everyone knows that monumental works reach the highest prices by far. These are indeed even higher when their colors are bright to be violent, and when their surface is shiny.
He performs this type of work in several copies, each in a different single color.
On 14 November last year, Sotheby's has sold for $ 23.5 million fees included a Hanging Heart Magenta / Gold, a work of 296 x 216 x 102 cm executed in five versions and dated 1994-2006 in chromium stainless steel covered with a transparent colored coating. Despite its huge dimensions, that heart is designed to be hanged, and it is this lightness of a monster that had been admired by specialists of Sotheby's, in a remarkable video that preceded the sale. The heart is decorated with gilded brass knots that look a bit like a gift package. As a coincidence, Balloon Flower is made of similar materials and also in five colors.
The day before, November 13, 2007, Christie's had sold for $ 11.8 million fees included a Diamond (Blue) of similar dates and materials, measuring 198 x 220 x 220 cm.
Unless a violent speculative effect, our Balloon Flower, static and less embellished, will not reach the price of Hanging Heart. The catalogue does not provide estimate, but it was sufficient to open the press release of June 10 to know that it is expected in the region of £ 12 million. We may find curious that this work of an American artist belonging to an American owner comes in London for being sold. I am told that London is closer to the Russian buyers than New York.
Christie's has provided a guarantee to the seller.
POST SALE COMMENT
Those who say that the market for contemporary art is unpredictable are wrong. Our Balloon Flower was sold £ 12.9 million charge included. This result is extremely close to the confidential estimate that I had the pleasure to tell you!
There is a much more interesting fact: Christie's says that this price is $ 25.6 million. In the 10% range, this price is the same as the Hanging Heart. I had shown above that these two works had many common features.
2004 Three Tons of Tulips by Koons
2012 SOLD 33.7 M$ including premium
The turning point in the work of Jeff Koons is around 1995. After exploiting the stupidity of the contemporary symbols conveyed by the popular imaging, he then began his great series of Celebrations, particularly appreciated now by the market.
The earliest were also the first to be auctioned: balloon flower, hanging heart, diamond. These works of monumental dimensions in stainless steel with a finish of pure color interact with their environment through an intense mirror effect for which the artist seeks perfection. Each model is produced in five variants, each variant in a different color.
Then we saw at auction the Easter eggs with their ribbons. On November 14 in New York, Christie's sells a copy of Tulips, which is an even more complex step in the development of the art of Koons.
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. Here is the link to the catalog.
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 copies 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.
I invite you to play the video featured by Christie's, in which Koons himself introduces this artwork.
POST SALE COMMENT
Koons's art is easy to see, but highly complex to implement. This technological feat was sold $ 33.7 million including premium.
The earliest were also the first to be auctioned: balloon flower, hanging heart, diamond. These works of monumental dimensions in stainless steel with a finish of pure color interact with their environment through an intense mirror effect for which the artist seeks perfection. Each model is produced in five variants, each variant in a different color.
Then we saw at auction the Easter eggs with their ribbons. On November 14 in New York, Christie's sells a copy of Tulips, which is an even more complex step in the development of the art of Koons.
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. Here is the link to the catalog.
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 copies 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.
I invite you to play the video featured by Christie's, in which Koons himself introduces this artwork.
POST SALE COMMENT
Koons's art is easy to see, but highly complex to implement. This technological feat was sold $ 33.7 million including premium.
2006 Celebration of the Broken Egg
2014 SOLD 14 M£ including premium
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.
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 broken egg is opened and the removed piece is placed besides. It is monumental, of course : 169 x 159 x 159 cm and 100 x 159 x 159 cm. 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 version is as sumptuous as a gorgeous Easter egg. It is estimated £ 10M for sale by Christie's in London on February 13.
I invite you to play the audio shared by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This highly interesting example of the Celebrations by Koons was sold for £ 14M including premium.
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 broken egg is opened and the removed piece is placed besides. It is monumental, of course : 169 x 159 x 159 cm and 100 x 159 x 159 cm. 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 version is as sumptuous as a gorgeous Easter egg. It is estimated £ 10M for sale by Christie's in London on February 13.
I invite you to play the audio shared by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This highly interesting example of the Celebrations by Koons was sold for £ 14M including premium.
2011 Spinach in Art
2014 SOLD 28 M$ including premium
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 statue 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 is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 14. The press release issued on April 11 announced an estimate around $ 25M. I invite you to play the short video shared by Sotheby's for introducing this lot.
The above video was only a short preview. I invite you now to play the full length video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very recent work was sold for $ 28M including premium.
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 statue 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 is for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 14. The press release issued on April 11 announced an estimate around $ 25M. I invite you to play the short video shared by Sotheby's for introducing this lot.
The above video was only a short preview. I invite you now to play the full length video shared by Sotheby's.
POST SALE COMMENT
This very recent work was sold for $ 28M including premium.
2014 Koons on the Mound
2018 SOLD for $ 23M including premium
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 will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 17 as lot 12 B. The April 9 press release announces an estimate in the region of $ 20M. 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 will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 17 as lot 12 B. The April 9 press release announces an estimate in the region of $ 20M. Please watch the video shared by the auction house where the lot is discussed by Jeff Koons.