Between art and kitsch

Born in Philadelphia in 1955, Koons wanted one thing above all: to become rich and famous. After studying art, he worked at the Museum of Modern Art and as a broker in New York for a few years starting in 1976, so that he could finance his works himself. Soon he created the first of his legendary Balloon Animals, and the shooting star of Neo-Pop Art was on the rise. The colorful 1980s came just at the right time for Koons, who cites Marcel Duchamps, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, and of course Andy Warhol as the most important artists who inspired him. In his works, Jeff Koons processes everyday objects that often have a strong connection to childhood. He imitates them, alienates them, exaggerates them, sexualizes them, or groups them with advertisements, photographs, or comics to create large-scale collages. Since the auction of the stainless steel sculpture Rabbit in 2019, Jeff Koons is again the most expensive living artist.