Jeff Koon's artistic range and abilities give new life to otherwise ordinary everyday things. His life size balloon art is often protested and looked down upon by the artistic community for the sole reason that he is only catering to the super rich because of its extravagance and costly nature.
Whatever the reasoning behind the mastermind, each artist will have his or her own inspiration for their creations.
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Jeff Koon's was originally born in York, Pennsylvania in 1955. Jeff studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Red Balloon Flower
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Jeff has received quite a bit of flack for exploiting some of Warhol's pieces, particularly the soup cans. His work Balloon Dog was constructed to appear as a dog made out of twisted balloons, much like a party clown would produce at a festive kid's party. The piece stands 10 feet tall and is made of metal which is painted red to appear more lifelike.
Jeff Koon's Big Rock
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Mark Stevens of The New Republic , has been documented as stating that Jeff Koon's is a "decadent artist [who] lacks the imaginative will to do more than trivialize and italicize his themes and the tradition in which he works... He is another of those who serve the tacky rich."
Blue Diamond at Christies-Sold for 11.8 Million
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Regardless of the constant outcry of insults from his fellow artists, Jeff still remains to exhibit and share his art all over the world. Koon's has lectured about his pieces at some of the most prestigious Universities and Colleges around the globe including Harvard, Yale, and Columbia.
Jeff Koon's Tulips
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Jeff has sculptures located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of American Art in New York, the Guggenheim Museum, The National Gallery D, Hirshhorn Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Eli Broad Family Foundation in California, the Tate Gallery in London, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Museum Ludwig in Germany, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum.
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Koons received acknowledgment by his peers in 2005 when he was elected as a beneficiary to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
" There's a difference between being famous and being significant. I'm interested in [my work's] significance - anything that can enrich our lives and make them vaster - but I'm really not interested in the idea of fame for fame's sake. "
