Jeff Koons Invades Versailles

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Sep 12th 2008 at 8:02AM

Art world provocateur Jeff Koons has ruffled feathers in France by installing his immense, kitschy statues in the storied Palace of Versailles. The groundbreaking exhibition, which opened Wednesday and runs through December, features 17 Koons works including a giant balloon dog, enormous aluminum lobster, and a ceramic ode to Michael Jackson and his pet chimp Bubbles. As my colleague Deidre Woollard reported previously, Koons' 3,500 lb. Hanging Heart sculpture fetched $23.4 million at auction in November.

The opening of the exhibition drew a crowd of protestors who consider the Koons show an affront to France. "This exhibit is sacrilegious and insulting to the symbols of the Republic and its art," Arnaud-Aaron Upinsky, president of the Union Nationale des Ecrivains de France, fumed to the AP. However Koons insists he has "complete respect for Versailles [and] complete respect for each individual coming to Versailles."

Tags: Contemporary art, ContemporaryArt, France, Jeff Koons, JeffKoons, Versailles

Filed under: Art

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Valerie Sep 12th 2008 11:44AM

I don't blame them for being insulted.It's crap.

JW-C Sep 13th 2008 9:26PM

It's the juxtaposition of having this piece in this particular location that I find most appealing and interesting.
All art is subjective and everyone has a favored period or style but to call this "crap" is just simple. An open mind will open up a whole new world of amazing experiences. You may not necessarily like everything you see but don't just slam it down and disregard it.

ST Sep 16th 2008 4:22PM

how long will this exhibit last, does anyone know?

Waldo Sep 20th 2008 8:07AM

I just got back home to the United States after visiting France for the first, and perhaps only time. I like Jeff Koons' work, but having to put up with his exhibit interfering with my enjoyment of the magnificence of Versailles was not appreciated at all. I agree completely with the French people who find it insulting. What next? Wax lips on the Mona Lisa? Cristo wraps the Eiffel Tower in pink? For those who find juxtapositions appealing, I say "fine", but do it in the privacy of your own home.

laura Oct 11th 2008 11:41AM

It was one of the most bizarre venues for this style of art that I have ever experienced. Actually quite distracting. However the pure irony was not completely lost on me. I found the pieces to be a perfect match to the over indulgences and grandeur of pre-revolutionary French society.
I would have preferred to visit Versailles in its traditional state, but the Jeff Koons exhibit was one of those wonderful (weird?) surprises that adds to the traveling experiences you bring home to share with others