Jeff Koons the Post-Pop Superstar – Book Review
Artist Ranks with Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Christopher Wool
Jun 12, 2009
Jeff Koons the Post-Pop Superstar, a 592-page publication from Taschen, is a comprehensive investigation of Jeff Koons' entire output to date. It is very definitely a book suitable only for adults, featuring some explicit erotic images.
Jeff Koons' Art – Kinky, Kitsch, Sexy or Sensual?
Many words have been used to describe Jeff Koons' art from kinky to kitsch, from sexy to sensual, and at all times controversial and nonconformist. Koons has a reputation for being the "bad boy" of the art world. In the 1990s the Made in Heaven series made critics reel with shock when Koons depicted himself making love to his then-wife, La Cicciolina (Ilona Staller), the Hungarian-born porn star who became a politician in the Italian government. Some defend his work claiming it is of immense art-historical importance while others classify his work as outrageous, or in the case of Made in Heaven, as positively pornographic.
Jeff Koons – About the Artist
Jeff Koons was born in York, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1955. He studied Byzantine Painting and American Folk Art at Maryland Institute College of Art but worked as a Wall Street commodities broker before becoming an artist.
His work has been exhibited around the world. During 2009 the Popeye Series will be on show at London's Serpentine Gallery (2nd July-13th September 2009). In October 2009 Tate Modern's Pop Life: Art in a Material World (1st October 2009-17th January 2010) will feature work by Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and others.
Koons' work has also been the subject of numerous publications including Jeff Koons Andy Warhol Flowers, co-authored by Koons and Daniel Pinchbeck (Gagosian Gallery, 2002).
Whenever work by Koons comes up for sale there is always intense interest since many of his pieces sell for millions of dollars. In November 2007 Sotheby's sold a version of Koons' Hanging Heart (Red/Gold) for $23.6 million, setting a new record for the most expensive work by a living artist. Jeff Koons the Post-Pop Superstar explains just how and why he maintains this position at the forefront of contemporary art.
Jeff Koons the Post-Pop Superstar – the Publication
Jeff Koons the Post-Pop Superstar is edited by Hans Werner Holzwarth, photographer and corporate designer renowned for his work with many artists including Boris Mikhailov and Christopher Wool.
The Introduction by Ingrid Sischy, recently retired editor of Interview magazine (founded by Andy Warhol and Gerard Malanga), tells the artist's personal story and sets his work in context.
An essay, For Eternity, by Eckhard Schneider, Director of the Kunsthaus Bregenz, discusses Koons' fascination with his heroes Marcel Duchamp and Salvador Dali. Schneider sums up the artist's view with these words:
"Koons' desire is to introduce things that people like into art, to give them confidence in their own taste and in art itself" (Jeff Koons the Post-Pop Superstar, p.49).
The main text is divided into 15 chapters arranged chronologically, from 1979 to the present day. Each section features hundreds of large-format images plus statements from Koons relating to specific periods and work groups. Katy Siegel, associate professor of art history and criticism at Hunter College-CUNY, provides a fascinating analysis of each work group.
In discussing Made in Heaven Siegel reviews the controversy surrounding the many items relating to the series, including glass sculptures, oil paintings, photographs, polychrome wood sculptures and marble busts.
The Chapter entitled Puppy 1992 looks at Koons' 43-foot high topiary sculpture entitled Puppy, originally located at Arolsen, Germany in 1992, but now permanently installed at the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. Koons describes his work:
"Inside, the Puppy is like a church. It has a shape like a bell tower going up. Absolutely beautiful and pristine. I wanted the piece to deal with the human condition, and this condition in relation to God. I wanted it to be a contemporary Sacred Heart of Jesus." (ibid, p. 378.)
A chapter entitled Banality deals with aspects of personal histories and includes a reproduction of Bubbles (1988), a gold polychromed life-sized sculpture of pop-star Michael Jackson with his pet chimpanzee.
The book has an extensive bibliography and an illustrated biography. However, it lacks a general index which, in a book this size, is a distinct disadvantage.
Jeff Koons Post-Pop Superstar is published by Taschen GmbH (2009) and priced at £39.99. Languages: English/French/German, dimensions: 34.2 x 26.2 x 5 cm, ISBN: 978-38365 03280.
 |
 |
 |
 |
