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BEYOND POP

[ ART ON BOARD ]

Jeff Koons’s sculptures were on display at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, with a selection of his most famous aluminium pieces where spectators reflected in the metal surfaces and saw themselves become

by Micaela Zucconi

Artist’s collection ©Jeff Koons, photo Tom Powel Imaging

a part of the works

f you had a few million dollars or so to spend on buying a piece by the American artist Jeff Koons, which one would you choose? His iconic Rabbit went under the hammer at Christie’s for 91.1 million dollars in 2019. You can of course, hope to acquire one of his works for a less

eye-watering price, but don’t bank on it. Jeff Koons, born in 1955, remains one of the world’s

highest-paid artists. His creativity is rooted in Marcel Duchamp’s Readymades and the Pop universe of Andy Warhol. Art history has played its part, especially in the famous Gazing Ball series, where the artist places blue glass spheres on reproductions of works by past masters like Praxiteles and Van Gogh. In his hands everyday objects are stripped of their function to become tycoon Dakis Joannou commissioned the American artist to paint his yacht, the 35-metre Guilty, in an unbroken abstract surface where saturated shades of yellow, black and blue combined with pixelated/ typography screen effects evoke the painting technique of Roy Lichtenstein. Most will be familiar with Koons’s polished metal sculptures and installations with references to consumerism and childhood. Maybe becoming father to eight children and grandfather of three has had an influence on his playful approach. Make no mistake, though, those sculptures inspired by kids’ toys, the famous Balloons, serve a deeper purpose than mere entertainment. Although deplored by his detractors Koons is enthusiastically acclaimed by his legions of fans and enjoys resounding success. Posterity will judge the true worth of his work, but meanwhile the effort and commitment he devotes to children’s charities does him great credit. He has been a board member of The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) since 2002, and co-founded the

By Jeff Koons: left, Gazing Ball (Apollo

Koons Family International Law and Policy Institute with ICMEC.

Lykeios), 2013. Plaster and glass.

The exhibition hosted by the Palazzo Strozzi, Jeff Koons. Shine, promoted by the Fondazione

Above, Italian Woman, 1986, stainless

Palazzo Strozzi and curated by Arturo Galansino and Joachim Pissarro (until 30 January 2002),

steel, Barbara Bertozzi Castelli

includes 33 polished aluminium sculptures dating from the mid-1970s to the present day, drawn

collection. Below, Jim Beam – J.B.

from the most important collections around the world. Visitors are reflected in the shiny metal

Turner Train, 1986, stainless steel,

surfaces, becoming a part of the works in the spirit of Jeff Koons’s art. In his words, “The job

bourbon. Private collection

©Jeff Koons, photo Douglas M.Parker Studios, Los Angeles

art works, like the vacuum cleaners in the installation The New, 1980. In 2008 the Cypriot

of an artist is to make a gesture and really show people what their potential is. It’s not about the object, it’s not about the images, it’s about the viewer. That’s where the art happens”. And it’s there in works replicating luxury objects like the Baccarat Crystal Set, the ultra-famous inflatable

Private collection, @ Jeff Koons

[ ART ON BOARD ]

toys like Rabbit and Balloon Dog (Red), reinterpreted representations

and its production methods, as described by Massimiliano Gioni in the

of characters like Hulk (Tubas) and the neo-readymade One Ball

Italian newspaper La Repubblica. As an adjunct to the show Salotto

Total Equilibrium Tank (Spalding Dr. JK 241 Series). Koons has well-

Studio has put together a music collection called I’m A Koons Fan with

established links with Italy, apart from his other exhibitions, and they

four thematic playlists, featuring tracks ranging from rock to ultrapop,

are not all associated with his marriage to politician Ilona Staller, known

inspired by the series Koons has created over his career. They will

as Cicciolina, whom he married in 1991 and had a child with. Before

be made available on the Palazzo Strozzi’s Spotify profile and can be

that he was engaged in a project to discover the world of porcelain

enjoyed on Spotify and www.palazzostrozzi.org/im-a-koons-fan-playlist

Above, Sacred Heart (Magenta/ Gold), 1994-2007, mirror-polished stainless steel with clear varnish. Above, right, Hulk (Tubas), 20042018, polychromed bronze and brass. Right, Gazing Ball (Ruben Tiger Hunt), 2015, oil on canvas, glass and aluminium. Opposite page: top from left: Bluebird Planter, 2010-2016, mirror-polished stainless steel with clear varnish and flowers; Seated Ballerina, mirror-polished stainless steel with clear varnish. Bottom, from left, Inflatable Flowers (Four Tall Purple with Plastic Figures), 1978, vinyl, mirrors and plastic