Jeff Koons

Contemporary Pop ArtistMrs. Fox – Spring 2014

Biography• Jeff Koons was born in 1955

in York, Pennsylvania. • He studied at the Art

Institute of Chicago, Maryland Institute College of Art

• Koons plucks images and objects from popular culture – Pop Art Movement

• Once married to Italian porn star Ilona Staller “Cicciolina”– they have one son together – he and Koons are estranged

Pop Art Movement

• A form of art that depicts objects or scenes from everyday life and employs techniques of commercial art and/or mass production

Methodology• Koons developed a color-by-

numbers system, so each of his assistants can execute his work as if done "by a single hand".

• Has mass productiion studio in a SoHo loft in New York with 100 plus assistants, each assigned to a different aspect of producing his work— similar to Andy Warhol's Factory

• Albert Shelton (Marie Smith’s cousin) is one of Koons’ artists

• Koons’ studio consists of sculpture and painting fabrication and the color and prep processes are staged and organized by professional artists working with him.

Big Bucks• Koons' work holds the world record auction price for a work by a living artist.• The largest sum known to be paid for a work by Koons is Tulips which was sold to hotel

mogul Steve Wynn for $33,682,500 at Christie's New York on November 14, 2012

• Two views on Koons’ artwork:

• Some view his work as pioneering and of major art-historical importance.

• Others dismiss his work as kitsch:– is a style of mass-

produced art or design using cultural icons seen as unsubstantial or gaudy works - calculated to have popular appeal.

The Critics

Fun Fact• In 2010, Jeff

Koons was the artist chosen to design the 17th in the series of BMW "Art Cars“ – a BMW M3

• Other BMW Art cars were created by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Frank Stella

Girl with Dolphin and Monkey, Jeff Koons, Oil on Canvas, Pop Art

Tulips, Jeff Koons, Stainless Steel Mirror Finish, Pop Art

Hulk Elvis III, Jeff Koons, Oil on Canvas, Pop Art

Michael Jackson and Bubbles, Jeff Koons, Porcelain, Pop Art