Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons (b. 1955) is considered to be one of the USA’s most significant contemporary artists. Some experience his art as colourful kitsch, but his use of commonplace materials has helped challenge the concept of aesthetics and expand the phenomenon of ready-mades.

We can follow Koons’ development in the series The Pre-New, where he puts inflatable beach toys on mirrors that are placed directly on the gallery floor. These simple conceptual works recall dominant art historical tendencies of the late 1970s, Minimalist sculpture and Land Art for instance. But here as well as in later series, there is also a relation to Surrealism. Early in his career Koons displayed an interest in how mass-produced objects were presented; he is still fascinated by the aesthetic parameters that steer our perception of products. In the series The New, consisting of unused vacuum cleaners encased in vitrines, Koons underscored this sensitivity for an object’s existence. 'If one of my works is turned on, it would be ruined', he said. It is the quality of newness in the object that largely contributes to the aesthetic experience.

Koons explores our fascination for beautiful objects, the aesthetic judgements determining our choices. In 1988 he produced the series Banality, consisting of large, colourful objects made from porcelain and wood. Many judge this series to represent a new step in Koon’s artistic development because it was the first time he diverged from his method of appropriating (transferring) existing objects. Aided by professional artisans, he created sculptures inspired by various stylistic and decorative precursors from popular culture. Koons studied the iconography and materials of mass culture and was fascinated by how Baroque and Rococo elements have become part of middle-class taste. Gilded porcelain, long the preserve of royalty and the aristocracy, has now been totally 'democratized', used for cheep knick-knack and mass-produced decorative objects. In this vein, the sculpture Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) presents the pop star as a gigantic Baroque knick-knack in white and gilded porcelain.

In 1988, when Jackson was at the height of his career, Koons sought to portray the excentric singer as a kind of modern icon. He wanted to do it in a way that elevated middle-class American taste. By presenting the pop star as an enormous knick-knack, Koons broke with conventions of taste and forced a debate on the concept of art.

Today the sculpture stands out as one of contemporary art’s greatest works. It continues to shock and overwhelm viewers. The work has also retained its relevance in relation to Jackson’s volatile career and sudden death.

Koons belongs to the same generation of artists as the appropriationists Richard Prince and Cindy Sherman. Each artist thematically addresses the role of the artist in relation to the artwork. Thus it is clear that all three are indebted to the 'father' of American Pop Art, Andy Warhol.

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