Jeff Koons

JEFF KOONS (United States, 1955).
"Balloon dog (yellow)".
Porcelain painted chrome. Exemplary 1066/2300.
Publisher: Barnar Daud, France.
Presents marks on the metal.
Measurements: 26.7 cm (diameter) x 12 cm.
Balloon Dog (Yellow) represents one of the most iconic pieces of the Celebration series, initiated in the 1990s, in which the artist reinterprets popular elements of childhood and entertainment through industrial materials. In this version, the Balloon Dog, executed in a vibrant yellow tone, is presented on a circular support that recalls the shape of the Renaissance tondo, thus reinforcing the ironic sacralization of the object represented.
A key artist on the international scene since the end of the 20th century, Jeff Koons develops a language with kitsch overtones, often in monumental format. He studied painting at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Maryland College of Art, although he worked for a time as a stockbroker on Wall Street before turning to art. He began to make a name for himself in the 1980s, and soon opened a workshop with thirty assistants, emulating Warhol's Factory model. A pioneer in his entrepreneurial vision of art, he hired an advertising agency to promote his image, something never seen before. One of the most sought-after living artists, Koons has been honored throughout his career with numerous awards, including the Cultural BZ in Berlin (2000), knighthood in the French Legion of Honor (2001, official in 2007), Museum of Fine Arts School Medal in Boston (2003), elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2005), Artistic Achievement Award from American for the Arts in Washington D.C. (2006), Wollaston Award from the Royal Academy in London (2008), Rob Pruitt Award from the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York (2009), Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy (2010), and Medal of Arts from the Department of State in Washington D.C. (2012), among others. He is currently represented in major collections around the world, including the Guggenheim Museums in New York, Bilbao and Berlin, the MoMA in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Château de Versailles, the Arken Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.