bluestocking
ko o n s Kitsch, conceptual, grotesque, kinky
and visionary—all of these somewhat sparring
descriptions have been used to describe the work of
artist Jeff Koons. His immaculate replicas of domestic
products, advertisements, glossy toys and models
have exercised an enthusiastic endorsement of
unlimited consumption and have arguably asked his
audience to breach the borders of their preconceived
notions of taste (let’s not forget his late 1980s body
of work “Made in Heaven,” featuring sexually-
charged photography and realistic sculptures of
himself with his then-wife Italian porn star-turned-
politician Ilona Staller) and have undeniably created
his lure. Critical responses to Koons’ works have
been extreme, but the Koonsian mix of art historical
reference and popular iconography, and meaning
and abstraction, offers a depth beyond their soft and
fuzzy (or plastic and blowup) exterior. It’s his depth
and vanguardism that his fans, friends and tight
collector/dealer circle are obsessed with and what has
catapulted the price of his work into the millions over
the last 10 years—foraying him into the venerated
position one of the leaders in contemporary art sales.
