All Photos By Gail
It’s been a decade since the art of Jeff Koons – one of the contemporary art world’s wealthiest, most celebrated and undeniably wildly polarizing figures – has been the focus of a solo exhibit here in Manhattan. This week, he has two: a series of new works at David Zwirner and a retrospective (opening this evening) at the Gagosian Gallery. Continue reading Gazing Ball By Jeff Koons at David Zwirner
The fabulous Jeff Koons, one of our very favorite contemporary pop artists, is the latest in a long line of artists to create an original work for Château Mouton Rothschild, which has commissioned avant-garde artists to design its labels since 1945. In his design, pictured above, Koons works over a Pompeii fresco of The Birth of Venus with a silver line drawing of a ship sailing under a bright sun.
Continue reading Jeff Koons Designs Mouton 2010 Wine Label
Street artist Aakash Nihalani often references the work of other fine artists in his colorful, geometric sculptures. Here you can see an obvious homage to Jeff Koons iconic, oversized, painted steel balloon dogs. Love this!
The art world is filled with enigmas, and that’s what keeps it exciting. This week, I attended a screening of a new documentary film about American contemporary artist/painter Mark Kostabi, called Full Circle, The Kostabi Story, directed by Italian filmmaker Sabrina Digregorio. The film is amazing, but before I get into it, I need to get something off my chest about another excellent Kostabi documentary from 2011, called Con Artist. Because, to me, Full Circle felt very much like the bookend to Con Artist, though I am sure that was unintentional.
While Con Artist did an excellent job of distilling Mark Kostabi’s colorful life, undeniable scenester status and celebrated art career up to that point, the title of the film referenced the fact that Kostabi, like so many modern art superstars, employs a staff to execute his paintings. I’ve met Mark Kostabi casually a few times (he is extremely friendly and approachable) and even visited his Chelsea based studio, Kostabi World, so it’s not like his process is a huge, dirty secret.
Far from it. This “revelation” is not at all scandalous when you consider that Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst, among many others, employ assistants and craftsmen to execute their projects, without being subject to serious flack as to whether this step in the creative process detracts from their legitimate artistic credibility. Hell, even Michelangelo had a staff. Con Artist is an enjoyable film, but the filmmakers definitely had an agenda, and I’m still not sure if Kostabi was complicit in the way it came off. I could have asked him about it, but I never did.
Post Continues, After The Jump!
Continue reading Recommended Viewing: Full Circle, The Kostabi Story
An Homage, of sorts, to Super Star artist Jeff Koons by Duke A. Barnstable Spotted on West 25th Street.
