JEFF KOONS (FONDATION BEYELER)

JEFF KOONS (1955)

The inimitable works of art by Jeff Koons (*1955 in York, Pennsylvania), one of the most famous artists in the world today, have been causing uproars since the eighties.

This publication is an in-depth examination of three major groups of works: The New (1980–87), Banality (1988), and Celebration (ongoing since 1994), each one of which represents a spectacular and consequential phase in Koons’s oeuvre. Ready-made objects from The New are transformed in Banality into wondrous, provocative sculptures created with traditional craftsmanship. A few years later, painting and sculpture appeared on an even par in Celebration. Hence, these three influential, manifesto-like stages are capable of providing insight into the work and ideas of Jeff Koons.

Edited by Theodora Vischer, Fondation Beyeler, texts by Raphaël Bouvier, Theodora Vischer, Günther Vogt, graphic design by Hans Werner Holzwarth

Exhibition schedule: Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel May 13–September 2, 2012