Koons (Basic Art)

by Hans Werner Holzwarth (Editor)

The creations of Jeff Koons (born 1955) are at once immediately accessible and eloquently art historical. From basketball tanks to flower puppies, his instantly recognizable work frolics with banal imagery as much as it integrates cultural references such as Surrealism and Pop Art. Koons’ art revels in visual pleasure, but also in the power to affront. He has made his name as much for stainless-steel rabbits as he has with his sinister sculpture of Michael Jackson, or his sexually explicit photographic series with then-wife Cicciolina. The result is mega-artist status. An indisputable king of contemporary visual culture, Koons is lauded by collectors, institutions, and the public alike. With landmark works and concise texts by Katy Siegel, Hans Werner Holzwarth, and Eckhard Schneider, this book offers the complete Koons at a glance, introducing an art world giant from his early inflatable flowers through to today. About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2015

About the author

Hans Werner Holzwarth is a book designer and editor of numerous publications, mainly on contemporary art and photography.

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbit
1986 41 x 19 x 12 inches




Pink Panther - with Jeff Koons
1988 41 x 20.5 x 19 inches


Koons is quite the artist. He has shifted style and mediums drastically over the years – from vacuum cleaners to huge depictions and wild collages.

I would call his art ostentatious, flamboyant, eye-catching, eye-candy... The authors have the usual technical-philosophical analyzes. I do not find Koons’ work to be subtle, or any of the other terms frequently used in this book.

Koons for some of his larger works employed dozens of assistants. It would have been of interest if the authors would have interviewed some of them.

But this is a Taschen book with great reproductions!

Jeff Koons is from the U.S. and has had great success in Europe as well as parts of the U.S. (I don’t think his work would be too popular in, for example, Salt Lake City!).



Ushering in Banality
1988 38 x 62 x 30 in




Balloon Dog
1994 - 2000 121 x 143 x 45 in




Lips
2000 oil 120 x 168 in




Monkeys (Chair)
2003 112 x 23 x 29 in

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photographs of some pieces by a famous artist.

I found most of these items a bit banal - a few caught my attention, mainly because I thought they were funny. I can only assume that given how successful this artist is I’m missing something.

[Aron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holzwarth writes that Koons 'looked very carefully' at what the middle class /really/ seems to like and enjoy (that is to say apart from what it feels it /should/ enjoy because it is considered 'high culture'). That is why much of his work is indistinguishable from the horrible kitsch one can find in many garden-material stores, or in stores that sell 'spiritual' objects. And that is why Koons likes to use stainless steel to fashion his sculptures out of: "To me the stainless steel is the material of the proletarian, it’s what pots and pans are made of. It’s very hard material and it’s fake luxury".

[Lea Dokter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5. This was very consice and insightful. the pictures are top-quality and the text provided gave me the perfect amount of reflection and explanation of Koons' art. Especially for its price (10£) this exceeded my expectations. The reason this did not get 5 stars is that the text referenced specific works of Koons' art that were not visually represented in the book, which was a tad annoying.

[Isobel Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book lost momentum…but that’s probably because I personally find his earlier work more exciting than his (or should I say, his talented teams☕️) paintings, although they are important and fascinating, ‘made in heaven’ was his peak for me😍