ART-PRESENTATION: Jeff Koons Mucem. Works from the Pinault Collection

Widely regarded as one of the most influential living artists, Jeff draws artistic inspiration from everyday life and objects in contemporary American culture. Reinterpreting the concept of the Duchampian readymade, Koons questions the very concept of a work of art. The variety of subjects, the continuous references to the history of art as well as to the world of advertising, the diverse spectrum of mediums and techniques used have contributed to make his work part of our collective imaginary, proposing a new interpretation of our relationship with everyday life and with the objects that surround us.

By Efi MIchalarou
Photo: Mucem Archive

The exhibition “Jeff Koons Mucem. Works from the Pinault Collection” present some of his most famous works in Marseille, and explore the relationship between these works and everyday objects, photographs and documents from the immense collection of the Mucem, reference in the field of popular arts. From the first works to the iconic pieces of the “Celebration” series, including the most recent creations such as the “Gazing Ball” and “Antiquity” series, the exhibition traces the artist’s career over the past 40 years, chronologically, and returns to the iconographic themes, visual associations and modes of expression that are dear to him. The work “New Hoover Convertible, New Shelton Wet / Dry 10 Gallon Doubledecker” (1981), is part of the series “The New”, produced between 1980 and 1987. Addressing the themes of the early works of Jeff Koons, This work embodies the predominant sculptural approach of this series: vacuum cleaners presented in acrylic display cases and illuminated by visible neon lights. The artist’s use of display cases evokes the visual vocabulary associated with the contemporary staging of consumer products. At the same time, it subtracts the objects from their initial function, by separating the desirability of the consumable. Cut off from their domestic function as a household appliance, their “breathing apparatus” and androgynous allure give vacuum cleaners an anthropomorphic appearance and erotic appeal.  Jeff Koons’ relation to the ready-made is subject to a decisive transformation in the “Luxury and Degradation” series. The artist ventures beyond the appropriation of existing objects, towards the exploration of their symbolic and social value. Fallen of their practical function, the objects described in this series undergo a radical change in their status within the contemporary society. “Luxury and Degradation”  series features advertising images spirits and sculptures in stainless steel represented both decanters and other objects dedicated to the consumption of the alcohol. “Travel Bar” (1986) presents the casting of a mobile steel bar stainless. Here is implicitly evoked one of the contradictions on which modern advertising is based: the language of the product promises power and luxury while raising a silent threat heaven on the American dream and its flaws. The marble sculpture “Bourgeois Bust – Jeff and Ilona” (1991)  illustrates Jeff Koons’s seductive use of classical language. This work depicts the bust of Jeff Koons with his then wife, Ilona Staller, huddled over a bed of flowers. It is one of the most iconic works in the Made in Heaven series, in which the artist reveals his own intimacy to evoke guilt and shame. Using the classic bust portrait tradition, Jeff Koons elevates the couple to the rank of divinity and breathes a breath of power and devotion into his work. Appropriating the codes of art history, especially those of the Baroque period, and the pornographic aesthetic, the series “Made in Heaven” poses the question of the representation of sexuality in art and confronts the viewer with the conflict between cultural codes and natural impulses. All of Jeff Koons’ works presented in this exhibition have been loaned by the Pinault Collection with the exception of “Bourgeois Bust – Jeff and Ilona”, ​​kindly provided to the Mucem by the Tate and National Galleries of Scotland, the A copy of the Pinault Collection being also presented in Rennes, as part of the exhibition “Beyond color. Black and white in the Pinault Collection ”.

Conceived in 1994, the “Celebration” series brings together joyful symbols and rituals linked to the celebration of events such as Valentine’s Day, Easter and birthdays, which he declines in intense colors and monumental and festive scales. Considered one of the most emblematic works of the Celebration series, “Balloon Dog (Magenta)” (1994-2000)  represents a balloon shaped like a dog. The work evokes immediately children’s birthday parties and nature playfulness of youth, while suggesting the concept of the horse of Troy. By modifying the material and dimensions of the ball inflatable, the artist negotiates with the permanent and the ephemeral. The monumentality and materiality of the work elevates the subject to the rank of a work of art and highlights an ecstatic personality and sensual. This is what male and female forms dictate. nines which are revealed slowly over the course of the dialogue the work with the scale. “Hanging Heart (Red / Gold)” (1994-2006) is a sculpture with a strong evocative power. It represents a pendant in the shape of a giant heart suspended from the ceiling by a golden ribbon with a large bow. As with the other stainless steel sculptures in the “Celebration” series, the proportions of the original object are dramatically enlarged while its details and smooth surfaces are impeccably restored. The suspension from the ceiling gives a notion of weightlessness to the sculpture which, in combination with its reflective surface, makes the viewer doubt the authentic substance of the material. Due to the subject and its scale, the work’s red mirror surface attracts the viewer both physically and emotionally. The heart, a symbol of humanity, warmth and romance, is complemented by the very spiritual and magical value of the work, silently inviting visitors to the private realm of longing and desire. Produced in the early 2000s, the “Easyfun-Ethereal” series includes oil paintings with collage and accumulation of superimposed images from a variety of sources. Nurturing a close relationship with the codes of advertising, these hand-painted works refer to everyday life, nature and the history of art.

“Elephants” (2001) is considered one of the most representative paintings in the series. It is permeated by representations of joyful childhood and innocence such as a woman’s hair and the image of an elephant, contrasting them with adult pleasures. The different layers of the image reveal the silhouette of a woman whose flesh is replaced by the image of a herd of elephants covered with jewels worn by invisible subjects. The dreamlike dimension of the painting challenges the viewer both visually and conceptually. Although the indiscriminate fusion suggests no hierarchy between subjects, “Elephants is stripped of its intrinsic meaning, unraveling the endless thread of creative interpretation. The lobster symbolizes key elements in Jeff Koons’ work in general, such as his relationship to surrealism and the readymade. Lobster is reminiscent of Salvador Dalí’s “Lobster Telephone”, the antenna of the animal reminiscent of the Catalan artist’s mustache but also the work “L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp. The choice of subject highlights potential connections between the formal properties of an object and its sexuality. It reveals the coexistence of feminine and masculine connotations. Combining historical references, technical precision and childhood memories, “Lobster” (2007-2012) can simultaneously appeal visually, seduce sensually and challenge the viewer conceptually.  Jeff Koons, “Caterpillar Chains” (2003)  mapped to a series of topics of merry-go-round, in a playful and colorful dialogue. Caterpillar Chains carries the main characteristics of the series “Popeye”: juxtapositions of the real and the replica, of childhood and adulthood. The sculpture is composed of a molding in aluminum of an inflatable caterpillar suspended from the ceiling by eight red coated steel chains, each hanging from one of the insect’s legs. The play plays with the spectator’s perception thanks to a pro- precise casting yield. As if stuck in a field of am- curvy, the suspension is intended to be as literal as it is metaphorical: the undeniable childish charm of the inflatable pool toy is challenged by its dependence on these eight channels in red coated steel.

Photo: Jeff Koons. Bluebird Planter, 2010-2016. Mirror polished stainless steel with transparent color coating and live flowering plants. 209.6 × 281.3 × 101.6 cm; 82 1/2 × 110 3/4 × 40 inches. Edition 1/3 + artist proof. Pinault Collection © Jeff Koons, Photo: Fredrick Nilsen / Courtesy Gagosian

Info: Curators: Elena Geuna and Emilie Girard, Mucem (Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée), 7 promenade Robert Laffont, Marseille, France, Duration: 19/5-18/10/2021, Days & Hours: Mon & Wed-Sun 10:00-20:00, www.mucem.org