Modern & Contemporary Artists Codexery

Jeff Koons

American artist known for popular culture sculptures and record auction prices.

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Jeff Koons

via Wikipedia: Jeff Koons · see source

Jeff Koons is an American artist born on January 21, 1955, who works in New York City and York, Pennsylvania.[1][2] Critics are sharply divided, with some viewing his work as pioneering and others dismissing it as kitsch.[3] In 2013, Balloon Dog (Orange) achieved US$58.4 million at auction, and in 2019, Rabbit sold for US$91.1 million, both setting records for a living artist.[2][4]

Life and work

As a child he sold gift-wrapping paper door-to-door, and as a teenager he visited Salvador Dalí at the St. Regis New York.[5] After moving to New York in 1977, he worked at the Museum of Modern Art and later became a licensed commodities broker.[6][7] He rose to prominence in the mid-1980s with series such as The New, featuring vacuum cleaners in illuminated Perspex boxes.[8][9]

What the cited sources add

The same article reports that Koons's stainless steel Rabbit was a centerpiece of the 1988 Saatchi show that inspired Damien Hirst.[10] The DESTE Foundation's website describes Koons's 2022 Apollo exhibition on Hydra, featuring a 30-foot reflective wind spinner.[11] A 2007 Independent article reports that Koons employed over 30 staff in a factory-like studio in SoHo, similar to Andy Warhol's Factory.[12] The same Independent article notes that Koons cultivated his public persona by employing an image consultant and placing advertisements in art magazines.[12]

A 2007 Observer article describes how Koons set up a color-by-numbers method, enabling his assistants to produce his works with the consistency of a single artist.[10] A 2019 CNN article reports that Koons's Rabbit reached a final auction price of US$91,075,000 at Christie's.[4]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Jeff Koons" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Famous birthdays for Jan. 21: Geena Davis, Luke Grimes", UPI, January 21, 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Jeff Koons" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vogel, "At $142.4 Million, Triptych Is the Most Expensive Artwork Ever Sold at an Auction", The New York Times, November 12, 2013; "Jeff Koons' $91M 'Rabbit' sculpture sets new auction record", CNN, May 15, 2019; Tully, "The Most Expensive Art Ever Sold At Auction: Christie's Record-Breaking Sale", Forbes, June 26, 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Jeff Koons" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Galenson, "You Cannot be Serious: The Conceptual Innovator as Trickster", National Bureau of Economic Research, October 2006, p. 25; "Jeff Koons brings pop art revolution to Versailles", YouTube, September 16, 2008 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. "Jeff Koons' $91M 'Rabbit' sculpture sets new auction record", CNN, May 15, 2019. facts only, no text reused. cnn.com
  5. Wikipedia, "Jeff Koons" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schjeldahl, "Funhouse: A Jeff Koons retrospective", June 2, 2008; Angelika Muthesius: Jeff Koons. Cologne 1992. p. 12.; Gayford, Martin. "Selling Candy to the Masses: Koons talks about sex, pleasure and future works" , Apollo, March 1, 2008. Retrieved on June 9, 2009.; Rawsthorn, "Mr Big Stuff: Jeff Koons at Work and Play", Esquire, February 7, 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Jeff Koons" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sischy, "Koons, High and Low", October 3, 2007; "Jeff Koons. New Shelton Wet/Dry Doubledecker. 1981 | MoMA", The Museum of Modern Art (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Jeff Koons" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sischy, "Koons, High and Low", October 3, 2007 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Jeff Koons" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Jeff Koons", Taschen, 2007; Jeff Koons, Tulips (1995–2004) Guggenheim Bilbao.; "Jeff Koons", Taschen, 2007 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Jeff Koons" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jeff Koons, New Hoover Convertibles, New Shelton Wet/Drys 5-Gallon, Double Decker (1986) Christie's Post War And Contemporary Art Evening Sale, May 13, 2008.; "The New: Encased Works", Jeff Koons (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wood, "The wizard of odd", The Observer, June 3, 2007. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  11. "JEFF KOONS: APOLLO | DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art | Athens | Greece", deste.gr. facts only, no text reused. deste.gr
  12. Akbar, "Koons Most Expensive Living Artist at Auction", The Independent, November 16, 2007. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Jeff Koons (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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