The small, $42,000 version of the famous dog art isn't unique, is it? Aren't there as many of these as the artist chooses to authorize? Placing the damn thing unsecured on a pedestal in a gallery where people walk all around it answers those questions. The only unanswered question is whether they actively sought this publicity.
The NYT article doesn't ask my questions. It's padded with cute crap about sweeping up the shards and selling them as if the destruction is more art — unique art, publicized in the NYT.
The Koons balloon sculptures look like they're made of balloons, but, as the breakage attests, they're not. Nevertheless, I'm giving this post my "balloon" tag, because balloons have been in the news lately, and there's a frisson of delight in the variation on a theme.
ADDED: "Erased de Kooning" was interesting — 70 years ago. Shattered Koons is bullshit.
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Everything in that picture looks placed to be bumped into. If it’s not a stunt, then the museum is negligent. And if were an artist, I wouldn’t be comfortable with my work being put on display there.
"Everyone was there to greet me when I stepped inside
Newspapermen eating candy
Had to be held down by big police
Someday, everything is gonna be diff’rent"
They can buy a replacement on Ebay. If worried about authenticity, then buy at Neiman Marcus for the now set price of $42,000. I can't read the NYT article without bypassing the paywall. I'm sure the well-paid journalist noted the commonality of a "fine art" that can be purchased at almost any store. No wait, I can read it now at the BBC or Guardian. I don't recall the local media rushing to my grocery store to cover the broken jar of pickles someone knocked off a display, yet that seems proportional. I'm guessing not an ad for the art store, but rather Jeff Koons. Here's his recently released book on Amazon, which talks about making this art.
Nevertheless, I'm giving this post my "balloon" tag, because balloons have been in the news lately, and there's a frisson of delight in the variation on a theme.
What about "dog"? Do we have a dog tag?
Dogs Playing Poker, that might be really valuable art one day.
Don't say never! Art is mysterious and the art market is insane. I'm definitely keeping all the abstract paintings I did in film school. My little blue thing is one of my artworks. I call it, Seek.
(Can't do any dog art as I can't draw for shit).
These dog sculptures? Are the dogs playing cards? If Not; WHY Not?
Balloon is exactly the right figure here. An ephemeral glittering self-contrived fabrication, a mile wide and a micron thick, enfolding absolute vacuity.
I had a hell of a "blue period" when I was in film school. I was buying canvases and shit, and throwing blue paint and white paint on the canvases. Fun!
I spent many years of my life on my attempt at a film career. And I still fell short. None of my short films were any better than mediocre. Maybe a "B" at best.
I spent a year of my life making a feature film. It's just okay.
I've gotten so disheartened about my films that they're just sitting in a bag somewhere in my apartment and I don't even care if they collect dust or decay or whatever. No distribution and I am done.
(Kurosawa used to say he never finished a film, he just abandoned it. Ditto!)
Anyway, my first attempt at a feature (this one fell apart), was about a struggling artist named Dino and his passionate love affair. He liked to put blue paint on women.
As props for this movie I had to make some abstract art.
I did the art myself. I spent maybe a few hundred dollars on paint and canvases.
I've given up on my films but my abstract art might be worth money one day. (You never know). I got to put something on my walls and my art is it.
I've apparently lost one of my best paintings, Sad Girl. I think it was in the trunk of my car that died? Anyway, most of my awesome paintings are on my walls. I give myself an A+ on my brilliant abstract art. I love my stuff.
(It would be hilarious if Sad Girl was "discovered" and became very valuable. I would be like, holy shit, it's Sad Girl!)
Ozymandias slathered in irony. And speaking of ephemerality, it made me think of that guy who bought at auction, for six figures, an unopened bottle of wine that had belonged to Thomas Jefferson. As he ran around the room afterwards he accidentally broke the bottle on a waiter's cart. C'est la vie.
Off-topic but FYI here is a good short piece on Twittergate:
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/the-twitter-files-reveal-an-existential-threat/
His glass art seems rather simplistic compared to the fantastical creations of Dale Chihuly which I've seen in outdoor garden or conservatory settings. If Mr. Koons single little blue dog was valued at $42.000. I can't imagine how much a Chihuly installation of elaborate and intricate shapes costs.
•Erased de Kooning" was interesting — 70 years ago.
Not even then.
Shattered Koons is bullshit.
It was bullshit before it was shattered. Koons copied someone else’s creation, and that someone else was an amateur clown at a child’s birthday party.
This story will soon be reported with a negative Ron DeSantis slant of some sort. Maybe merge it with the Florida Man meme, but progressives can't meme so maybe not.
"$42,000"
That's the thing about art. It's "value" is whatever someone is willing to pay. For example, if you want to bribe the President of the United States, it's pretty easy. First you can go to his son, and buy his alleged "art" and then the son will "rent" the father's house for $49,000 a month, thereby effectively laundering the bribe to the President, who can then claim he doesn't discuss his son's businesses with him and a willing press will pass that lie on to the public. Everybody wins!
Art! The Biden's have perfected this art.
Owen said...
Off-topic but FYI here is a good short piece on Twittergate:
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/the-twitter-files-reveal-an-existential-threat/
2/19/23, 7:58 AM
Excellent. Thanks.
F22 Raptor on runway four you're good to go. Happy hunting...
$42,000? At least having it destroyed this way is cheaper than having Biden's Air Force do it with a $400,000 missile. All balloons may be dangerous now, doncha know. Any day now we'll hear from anonymous sources in the intelligence community that at least 2 other Koons balloons were destroyed during Trump's term. And that he's akshully the one who named them.
If the 'balloon dog' had been made out of actual balloons instead of a cheap substitute, this would never have been an issue.
Obviously, it was a Chinese spy balloon dog.
"Aren't there as many of these as the artist chooses to authorize?"
Not unlike printing money, fiat money that is.
I think your suspicions of a PR stunt are quite correct. As that 'sculpture' appears to be made of porcelain and has a bit of weight, it would take a mighty strong 'tap' to knock it completely off that pedestal. And as there are apparently hundreds of these in existence, it's not like any thing of anything of real value was lost.
I think your suspicions of a PR stunt are quite correct. As that 'sculpture' appears to be made of porcelain and has a bit of weight, it would take a mighty strong 'tap' to knock it completely off that pedestal. And as there are apparently hundreds of these in existence, it's not like any thing of anything of real value was lost.
Why was this thing in a position to be knocked into and shattered?
Why not? Not everything needs to be antifragile.
Reminds me of the 'performance artist' who ate a $120,000 banana duct-taped to a wall exhibit.
Link to story
Can appreciation go too far?
When I was a kid, subjected to many art fairs, I used to conduct the following thought experiment: What if I won the lottery, came to an art fair, picked an artist and asked to buy their best work. Then I’d buy it and smash it, tear it up, destroy it in front of them and then go to the next booth and do the same. What would their reaction be? I figured I’d be kicked out fairly quickly. Passers by would be hostile. Most artists would be angry/sad. But I thought there would be a small number of them (mostly male) who would laugh, bring me their worst pieces with exorbitant price tags, and await payment. Anyway, it’s for these mean childish thoughts that I jinxed my chances and have never won the lottery.
Are you sure it wasn't done by a sidewinder missile?
Every time I go to the Broad and see Koons' nausea-inducing Michael Jackson with his monkey "art," I want to not so accidentally knock it off its pedestal.
Banksy's "Girl with Balloon" saw its value rise exponentially after his brilliant shredder gag.
Looked up images of the artist and his dog. The smirk on Jeff's phizz made me exclaim "you saucy dog!"
Maybe the eco-terrorists have decided to step up their tomato soup and superglue game.
Koons has been producing BS for decades. But, there are a lot of people who consume BS regularly.
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