Jeff Koons
Texts by Anette Hüsch and Gudrun Inboden
Jeff Koons’s paintings combine high pixelation of sexual imagery with gestural paint splashes, in an erotic rampage that bursts off the canvas, energized by a friction between photography, painting and digital media. In part an homage to Courbet’s “Origin of the World,” these works argue for the flourishing of libido and aim to make a direct hit upon their viewer: “My work will use everything that it can to communicate. It will use any trick, I’ll do anything- absolutely anything-to communicate and to win the viewer over,” says the artist. Offsetting this quasi-religious solicitousness is Koons’ usual great degree of care in the layering of images, and the pixelated imagery that compels the viewer to stand back some way to process it. (For Koons, pixelation too is a sign of authenticity.) This beautifully produced edition presents five of these new paintings printed on tipped-in color plates.
Publisher: Holzwarth Publications
Artists: Jeff Koons
Contributors: Anette Hüsch, Gudrun Inboden
Publication Date: 2010
Binding: Hardcover
Dimensions: 12 x 12 1/4 in (30.5 x 31.8 cm)
Pages: 36
Reproductions: 12 color
ISBN: 9783935567497
Retail: $40 US & Canada | £24 | €30
Status: Available
Jeff Koons
One of the most prominent artists working today, Jeff Koons is well known for his bold paintings and sculptures. Typically working in series, his art holds up a mirror to contemporary consumer culture, using the photorealistic, commercial aesthetic familiar from an earlier generation of Pop artists to generate his own unique and universally recognizable style. His subjects range from toys to inflatables to household items to luxury goods and sexualized imagery. His references to popular media are evidenced not merely in his choice of subject matter but also in his visual techniques: his sculptures often involve smooth, glistening surfaces while his paintings employ bright and saturated colors.