Jeff Koons' World
By Ingrid Sischy
Page [1] [2] [3] [4]
I noticed that Koons would go over and over what had gone wrong with Celebration
And he knew that the first round of Celebration was over. By 1996 work on it had basically stopped. Koons was so
overextended that he had to walk from the Upper East Side down to his studio in SoHo. Still, he went in every day, and he never threw in the towel. I dropped by occasionally during those difficult years. The unfinished Celebration paintings and sculptures that hung around were a reminder of earlier flush times. In the past, there had been about 70 assistants in the SoHo studio, which had the buzz of some kind of giant playroom-cum-art factory. Now there was mostly just Koons and Gary McCraw, his studio manager. There was always a new idea to talk about, or a new model for a new work to look at, but I also noticed that Koons would go over and over what had gone wrong with Celebration, as if he was
replaying it all until he could find the solution for how to make it finally work. Eventually that`s exactly what occurred.
What is the opposite of difficult problems? Why, Easyfun, of course
Koons solved the technical challenges with a new manufacturer, and with some powerful collectors and dealers behind him he finally got himself the financial backing that was required for the series to see the light of day, which is what`s been happening over the last few years, bit by bit. But before that could go on Koons had to resuscitate his career. He did it with true Koonsian pop flair.What is the opposite of difficult problems? Why, Easyfun, of course.
There was something touching about the fact that the 1999 Easyfun collage-like paintings and animal-shaped mirror wall sculptures which helped put Koons` life back
on track were produced for a show at Sonnabend, his old stomping ground, after the artist had gone back into the gallery`s embrace. Such faith showed how important the
relationship had been to both the gallery and Koons. Suspense was high in the days leading up to the show. Because the delays on Celebration had been so public, skeptics doubted the exhibition would be ready. But then, they didn`t know who they were dealing with. I popped by during the marathon work sessions that took place before the opening and, hearing about him painting the chocolate chips in Hair himself, one could feel his determination to get out of his bind. There was also a visceral sense of liberation in the air, in the buoyant paintings and the strategically simple sculptures. McCraw pitched in as helper No. 1.When people telephoned the studio to inquire about business matters, they`d be told "Gary can`t take any phone calls today." Sure it was a bit of a cliffhanger before the work was finally delivered for the exhibition, but that`s show business—especially if one`s talking Jeff Koons. "It`s always tight," he explains. "I`m always pushing. I always feel a sense of failure whenever I finish anything, because I always want to take it as far as I can." And he does. It`s the extra amount that he gives that makes the work so great.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4]
I noticed that Koons would go over and over what had gone wrong with Celebration
And he knew that the first round of Celebration was over. By 1996 work on it had basically stopped. Koons was so
overextended that he had to walk from the Upper East Side down to his studio in SoHo. Still, he went in every day, and he never threw in the towel. I dropped by occasionally during those difficult years. The unfinished Celebration paintings and sculptures that hung around were a reminder of earlier flush times. In the past, there had been about 70 assistants in the SoHo studio, which had the buzz of some kind of giant playroom-cum-art factory. Now there was mostly just Koons and Gary McCraw, his studio manager. There was always a new idea to talk about, or a new model for a new work to look at, but I also noticed that Koons would go over and over what had gone wrong with Celebration, as if he was
replaying it all until he could find the solution for how to make it finally work. Eventually that`s exactly what occurred.
What is the opposite of difficult problems? Why, Easyfun, of course
Koons solved the technical challenges with a new manufacturer, and with some powerful collectors and dealers behind him he finally got himself the financial backing that was required for the series to see the light of day, which is what`s been happening over the last few years, bit by bit. But before that could go on Koons had to resuscitate his career. He did it with true Koonsian pop flair.What is the opposite of difficult problems? Why, Easyfun, of course.
There was something touching about the fact that the 1999 Easyfun collage-like paintings and animal-shaped mirror wall sculptures which helped put Koons` life back
on track were produced for a show at Sonnabend, his old stomping ground, after the artist had gone back into the gallery`s embrace. Such faith showed how important the
relationship had been to both the gallery and Koons. Suspense was high in the days leading up to the show. Because the delays on Celebration had been so public, skeptics doubted the exhibition would be ready. But then, they didn`t know who they were dealing with. I popped by during the marathon work sessions that took place before the opening and, hearing about him painting the chocolate chips in Hair himself, one could feel his determination to get out of his bind. There was also a visceral sense of liberation in the air, in the buoyant paintings and the strategically simple sculptures. McCraw pitched in as helper No. 1.When people telephoned the studio to inquire about business matters, they`d be told "Gary can`t take any phone calls today." Sure it was a bit of a cliffhanger before the work was finally delivered for the exhibition, but that`s show business—especially if one`s talking Jeff Koons. "It`s always tight," he explains. "I`m always pushing. I always feel a sense of failure whenever I finish anything, because I always want to take it as far as I can." And he does. It`s the extra amount that he gives that makes the work so great.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4]
Sold out!
Jeff Koons
Hardcover + Box, 33 x 44 cm (13 x 17.3 in.), 606 pages
$ 4500.00
$ 4500.00
The Post-Pop superstar: An in-depth study of Jeff Koons's entire oeuvre to date. Limited to 1,500 copies, each numbered and signed by the artist.
Hulk (Jungle), 2005, from the series Hulks. Oil on canvas, 102 x 138 inches / 259,1 x 350,5 cm. Credit: Jeff Koons Studio
Pot Rack, 2000, from the series Easyfun. Oil on canvas, 108 x 79 inches / 274,3 x 200,6 cm. Credit: Bernhard Schaub