Page 157 - International Iconic July 2024

JEFF
KOONS

orn in 1955 in York, Pennsylvania, Jeffrey Lynn Koons is Modern Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and the Los Angeles County
considered one of the most prominent contemporary artists Museum of Art. He also received several awards for his work
Bto emerge in the post-war era. He studied at the School of including the Wollaston Award from the Royal Academy of Arts,
the Art Institute of Chicago and then received his BFA from the London in 2008 and the Golden Plate Award of the American
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore in 1976. His first job Academy of Achievement in 2014.
entailed working at the Museum of Modern Art after moving to
New York in 1977. He also worked as a commodities broker on First appearing as a part of his Celebration series in 1994, the
Wall Street to finance the art he would later create. monumental Balloon sculptures by Jeff Koons were scaled
He is known for his exploration of the meaning behind art sculptures of objects often found in celebratory events like
through the usage of easily recognisable objects found in mass birthdays and parties. These polished balloon animals catapulted
media seen through various contexts and references. His first the artist further into fame and solidified themselves as a
breakthrough exhibition in 1980 called ‘The New’ displayed signature for Jeff Koons. The works are highly endearing as they
heavily commercialised objects like vacuum cleaners in Plexiglass are masterfully manipulated to mimic contorted inflated balloon
boxes lit with fluorescent lights - a comment on America’s heavy animals that can be seen at children’s birthday parties. These

“The only thing the artist can do is be honest with themselves

and make the art they want to make. That’s what I’ve always done.”

reliance on consumption. This was followed by ‘Equilibrium’ in pieces are a beautiful example of Koons’ grip of Pop art, his play
1985, suspending basketballs in large aquariums filled with water. with reflection and the juxtaposition of lightness with heavy
His inflatable objects gained him recognition globally with his objects. His smaller scale sculptures too have gained popularity,
exploration of toy-like objects. He also gained appreciation for his appearing in several different animal forms like the rabbit, monkey
work with pop culture. and dog, in hues of violet, magenta, yellow, red, blue and orange.
Jeff Koons’ Celebration series, starting in 1994 and going on Although the sculptures possess the essence of simplicity they are
to the late 2000s, was the beginning of his work with oil paintings. impactful and evoke nostalgia and are reminiscent of the playful
These hyper-realistic artworks and sculptures evoke nostalgia nature of childhood.
with images like jewellery, foods and household objects. His Post the Celebration series, he continued his work with
later works including the Gazing Ball series and Antiquity series sculptures with series like Antiquity, Seated Ballerina, Play-Doh and
harken to Old Master paintings and Renaissance sculptures, both more, all exploring themes he has been fascinated by throughout
with his own unique spin to them. Jeff Koons’ works are housed his career like mass media and pop culture. While all these series
in permanent collections of several museums around the world have gained their own due praise, none have endured like the
including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of richly coloured and fascinating balloon sculptures.