Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons first gained recognition in the 1980s, as part of a generation of artists who explored the meaning of art in a media-saturated era. His works explores the ideas of commodity, mainstream culture and consumption through a universally recognisable style, comprising of smooth, highly reflective surfaces and bright, saturated colours.

Born in York, Pennsylvania, in 1955, Koons studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After college, Koons moved to New York where he worked on the membership desk of the Museum of Modern Art. In 1980, he began working as a Wall Street commodities broker, which inevitably charged his interest in mass consumerism and helped finance the production of his early works. 

Now regarded as Neo Pop, Koons’ art has absorbed the pop art of Andy Warhol, with the ready-mades of Marcel Duchamp and over-sized objects of Claes Oldenburg. Since his first solo exhibition in 1980, his work has evolved from small assemblages, to the iconic monumental studies. 

Typically working in series, Koons reflects popular culture with art historical references. Beginning with ‘Inflatables’, a series focusing on the ready-made, he later expanded his interest of popular culture with his ‘Banality’ series. During the 90s, Koons created his ‘Celebration’ series, which focused on his interest in Pop sensibility. 

In recent years, Jeff Koons has made direct reference to canonical works with his ‘Gazing Ball’ series. Uniting various mediums with a blue mirrored, hand blown glass gazing ball, Koons offers the viewer a platform of reflection.

His oeuvre has come to define contemporary art, and as such, positions him as one of the most coveted artists of the 21st century. In 2019, ‘Rabbit’ fetched $91.1 million, marking a record price for a living artist at auction.