Jeff Koons

Common themes in the work of Jeff Koons are anything and everything copyright and kitsch. He explores all different mediums and subjects ranging from paintings to sculptures and from major brands like Nike to images as commonplace as a balloon animal. No matter what Koons places in his work, he rarely constructs the final piece himself. In fact, he has a massive crew that works around the clock to put together whatever his idea may be. Because of this, his work can often be very controversial. Some people see his work as pioneering and of great importance to the art world, while as others dismiss his work as nothing more than self promotion. Koons doesn't try to back his work up with a bunch of constructed meanings behind it, instead he has said there are no hidden meanings at all. This leads us to understand that his work is nothing more than flashy and controversial for the very sake of being so. Personally, I find it hard to believe that an artist can be taken seriously when he doesn't do any of the work himself. The main thing that I value in art is the love and care that the artist took to construct it. I feel like it shouldn't be Jeff's name getting all the glory for the work, but should be treated as more of a collaborative piece and acknowledge each of the contributing team members. I'd feel a lot more comfortable praising the work if this were the case.

Puppy

stainless steel, wood (at Arolsen only), soil, geotextile fabric, 

internal irrigation system, live flowering plants

486 x 486 x 256 inches

1992

Looking at his pieces formally, I'd have to say that my favorite is definitely Puppy. I really aesthetically enjoy this piece because it's always changing. Depending on the season and which blooms are open the piece changes color and shape. I can only imagine how nice it would smell. Formally, it's very voluminous and organic which I also enjoy. Being enormous, I can imagine what a presence it would have. It's definitely kitsch, which goes along with Jeff's signature style, but I feel as though it is creative weather or not he meant it to be so. The combination of scale and medium with the subject matter makes it tolerable for me. Overall, I have little appreciation for most of his pieces due to their lack of depth and and absent acknowledgement for those who really completed the work.

Moses

Framed Nike poster

45 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

1985

Balloon Swan (Magenta)

high chromium stainless steel with transparent color coating

138 x 119 x 94 inches

5 unique versions (Magenta, Blue, Violet, Yellow, Red)

2004-2011