Jeff Koons

Puppy -Stainless steel, wood, plants
40'x40'x21'- Installation at Arolsen - 1992

Love him or hate him, Jeff Koons has established himself as a notable figure in contemporary art. This New York artist has been successfully working in found objects, metals, plastic, ceramic and paint since the 1980's. Regardless of anyone's opinion of the work itself, no one can deny that he has been successful and that, in and of itself, is what Jeff's art is about.

I view Jeff Koons as a calculating mastermind, someone who saw art as something he could manipulate and exploit to become rich. His studio is a production house, an assembly line, designed to generate art. When he speaks about his work, he uses buzz words that may catch peoples attention, but if you really listen, he is not saying anything at all. He has figured out how to play the game, he dose it well, and he knows it. 

Balloon Dog (Yellow) - Chromium Stainless steel
10'x12'x4' - 1994-2000

Why do people pay millions of dollars for Jeff Koons artwork? I think it's because long ago he figured out how to market himself well. Is Jeff an artist? I would have to say yes. I don't think highly of his motivation, but his art dose what it was intended to do, make him lots of money. 

In 1994 Jeff conceived his Celebration series. These large scale balloon sculptures are made out of high-chromium stainless steel, with a mirror finish surfaces. Of all his work, I find these sculptures to be the most interesting. They are fun and have a whimsical quality, but what I'm drawn to is not the sculptures themselves, but the way they reflect their surroundings. When seeing one of Jeff's Balloon Dogs in an installation in the Gardens of  Versailles, I was struck by the beauty of the reflections on its surfaces.

Fait D'Hiver - Porcelain
2'x5'x3' - 1988

I do think that the artwork of Jeff Koons has its place in contemporary art. It forces us to yet again ponder those universal questions. What is art? Why is it important? I hate to give him any more reason for an inflated ego, but perhaps Jeff's work will inspire a new generation of artist to produce work with depth, something I find laking in his own.


"I love the gallery, the arena of representation. It's a commercial world, and morality is based generally around economics, and that's taking place in the art gallery." - Jeff Koons