[News Figures] Jeff Koons Gaining Attention with the Shattered 'Balloon Dog'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] A work by Jeff Koons, a famous American contemporary artist who holds the record for the highest price sold among living artists, valued at around 50 million won, was shattered due to a mistake by a 'VIP visitor.' However, as public opinion arose that the broken pieces themselves are another form of artwork, attention is focusing on the artist Koons. Koons is widely known to the public for his so-called 'Balloon Dog' work.

Jeff Koons' 'Balloon Dog' (Photo by Bel Air Fine Art Gallery website)

According to the New York Times (NYT) and others on the 19th (local time), on the night of the 16th in Miami, USA, at the VIP preview event held to mark the opening of the 'Art Wynwood' art fair, a female visitor tapped Koons' 'Balloon Dog' with her hand and accidentally dropped it from its pedestal. As a result of this accident, the Balloon Dog was broken into at least 100 pieces. This work, made of porcelain, is known to be valued at $42,000 (approximately 55 million won).

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Steven Gamson, an artist and collector who witnessed the scene, explained to local media, "It seems the woman touched it to check if it was a real balloon," adding that there were many more visitors who wanted to see the broken 'Balloon Dog' pieces than other artworks. The NYT predicted that the broken pieces could also be sold at high prices. Cedric Boero, head of the France region at Bel Air Fine Art Gallery, evaluated that the number of blue Balloon Dog pieces by Koons decreased from 799 to 798 due to this accident, increasing rarity and value, and said, "This is good news for collectors."

Born in Pennsylvania in 1955, Koons often copied works of many masters during his childhood. Koons' father, who was a furniture interior designer, sometimes hung Koons' copied works in the shop window to attract customers. Through this process, Koons naturally began to learn about color, space, and understanding objects. Later, he graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, gradually pioneering his own field.

Jeff Koons. Photo by Yonhap News

In the 1980s, Koons created works in a pop art style. By the 1990s, he openly expressed sexual themes in his works, earning the nickname 'bad boy of the art world.' Some criticized his works, claiming they combined pornography and art. Then Koons changed his artistic world again, starting to create large dog-shaped sculptures called Balloon Dogs, becoming a representative contemporary artist of the United States.

On June 8, 2015 (local time), Jeff Koons is looking at his sculptural work "Balloon Dog" exhibited at his retrospective in Bilbao, Spain. Photo by Yonhap News

The Balloon Dog is made of stainless steel, appearing like a large balloon sculpture. It is the work that earned him the title of 'King of Kitsch.' Kitsch is a German word meaning 'bad art.' It is commonly understood as trivial imitations, low quality, or bad taste, and can be interpreted negatively as artistic works with such attributes or cheap culture. Koons is known to receive such evaluations in the art world because his works are influenced by mass-produced items and popular media images such as pop star Michael Jackson, advertisements, and pornographic photographs.

However, paradoxically, his works are recognized for both popularity and artistic value because anyone can enjoy them, earning him the title of the most successful artist since Andy Warhol. Koons' works are also very popular in the auction market. On May 15, 2019 (local time), Koons' 'Rabbit' was sold at Christie's auction in New York, USA, for $91,075,000 (approximately 108.5 billion won) including fees. With this auction price, Koons earned the nickname 'highest price for a living artist.' Christie's described 'Rabbit' before the auction as "one of the most iconic works in 20th-century art," adding, "It has a hard and cool exterior but approaches with the visual language of childhood."