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Made in Heaven, a series of large-scale photographs and sculptures depicting Koons in a variety of sexually explicit poses with the Italian porn star, Ilona Staller, remains the artist's most polarizing and controversial series. The exhibition, which premiered in 1991 at the Sonnabend Gallery, included this billboard, announcing a feature film Koons intended to produce with La Cicciolina (Staller's stage name), a scheme that was never realized. Koons and Staller, who met during the project, married in 1991 and divorced three years later, sparking a lengthy custody battle over their son, Ludwig. Through the categorization of vacuum cleaners as art Koons explores America's fetishization of pristine commodities and their relationship to notions of gender and cleanliness. A glorification of domestic consumption was particularly prevalent in the post-war homes of the 1950s and 60s, where families were encouraged to adopt traditional gender roles, invest in labor-saving devices and display their status through the objects that they owned. Koons grew up in this atmosphere and the continued influence of his mother and the suburban ideal can be seen in this work. Parallels can also be drawn between domestic expressions of status in the 1950s and the burgeoning materialism of the 1980s in which the work was created. Koons once remarked that he believed Balloon Dog (part of the same Celebration series) to be "a very optimistic piece, it's a balloon that a clown would maybe twist for you at a birthday party. But at the same time it's a Trojan Horse. There are other things here that are inside: maybe the sexuality of the piece." The work recalls the unbridled optimism and wonder of childhood, while functioning simultaneously as a reminder of this naive state of development, replaced in adulthood by covetousness for luxury and beauty. The idea that commerce is the new religion is, in many ways, the key to Koons' oeuvre.
Attention is drawn to the Auctioneers Conditions of Sale in this catalogue and posted on the premises. Koons' most famous works to date are his towering sculptures inspired by balloon animals. This one stands over ten feet tall and weighs in excess of a ton. Its shiny exterior, according to the artist, is intended to "manipulate and seduce". Unlike the cheap rubber it imitates, the surface of Balloon Flower evokes the shininess of precious metals. Since this really is metal, its immaculate, reflective surface and perfectly concealed joints invite us to marvel in the absolute symmetry and perfection of the objects. Up close, however, the overall composition fades, and the viewer is confronted by his or her own distorted, imperfect image. Koons is often compared to British artist Anish Kapoor and it possible to see the resemblance between Koons' balloon sculptures and Kapoor's mirrored work, most notably Cloud Gate (2006), a large public sculpture in Millennium Park, Chicago. IMHO, Play-Doh is a gift from the gods. Unfortunately, for a poor starving college student, it is an expensive one. But here are some recipes to make your own, using stuff that might actually be in your kitchen (so you can save your money for the REAL good stuff -- like the Fun Factory). Along the way, the various owners of Play-Doh decided to capitalize on the popularity of Play-Doh. They released the Play-Doh Fun Factory, the gadget with the lever that compressed the Doh through a hole, making it into various shapes. This turned into things like the beauty shop, Monster set, various baking sets, and the McDonald's Happy Meal Playshop. These were all just variations on the original concept of the fun factory. Mirrors and highly-polished surfaces feature in many of Koons' works and he favours these for both their flawless finish and the fact that they allow the viewer to see themselves in the artwork. In this manner the viewer becomes part of the piece itself and their changing reflection alters how they encounter the work, making it a very personal experience.d) All lots must be paid for in cash, or in other manner acceptable to the auctioneers, on the day of sale and before delivery is given. Apron– protecting little ones clothing from the majority of the mess, because let’s face it even with an all-in-one apron they would still manage to get it on their clothes
In particular it is emphasised that all accounts must be settled on the day of sale. Sale currency is GBP. I love Play-Doh. I especially love the way it smells. I hadn't played with Play-Doh in years until a few days ago, when I got my hands on a small container of the stuff. I played with it for so long that my hands turned blue. It molds and shapes so nicely, and squeezing it is a great way to relieve stress. And it has that distinctive smell, one that I hadn't smelled in years. I don't know if I played with Play-Doh very much as a child, but I sure wish that I had. First unveiled at Koons' 2014 Retrospective Exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, Play-Doh was the culmination of two decades of planning and execution. From this showing it garnered almost universal admiration, with Roberta Smith describing it in the New York Times as "a new, almost certain masterpiece whose sculptural enlargement of a rainbow pile of radiant chunks captures exactly the matte textures of the real thing, but also evokes paint, dessert and psychedelic poop".
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Play-Doh has been a staple in children's toy boxes for decades, and for good reason. Providing endless opportunities for creativity and imagination - it's a toy that can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. And here at The Entertainer, we offer a fantastic range of Play-Doh sets to inspire your little one's playtime. From classic pots of Play-Doh to interactive playsets, we have everything you need to create endless shapes, objects, and characters. Play Doh Kitchen Creations
Although it looks like it could pop with a pin, Balloon Dog (Red) is made from mirror-polished stainless steel that is covered with a transparent varnish. Koons has also created smaller, collectible versions of this sculpture, as well as balloon swans, rabbits, monkeys, and even Venuses. While other artists, from Carolee Schneeman to Vito Acconci, had featured themselves in sexually explicit acts, and the poses in Koons' work quoted well-known old master paintings, the general view was that Koons, by showcasing himself as a porn star (and Staller, who really was a porn star) in these images, had overstepped the boundaries of good taste. This, of course, was precisely the point, breaking new ground in blurring the line between erotic imagery and pornography. Continuing a line of reasoning that begins much earlier in his work, Made in Heaven raises the question, if a poster and a vacuum cleaner can constitute art, why not pornographic imagery? Koons’ Hulks represent the connection between Western comic book culture and the concept of gender. Koons explains, “They’re there as protectors… but at the same time they can become very, very violent. The Hulks are like that—they’re really high-testosterone symbols.” This is perhaps best captured in Hulk (Friends), where the six inflatable characters are perched on his shoulders. Koons reveals that this particular Hulk is “a guardian, a protector, that at the same time is capable of bringing the house down.”All Sales shall be deemed to have been made in England and the Parties to the Sale hereby submit to thejurisdiction of the English Courts. English Law shall be the proper law of the Contract of Sale. Clear parallels can be drawn between Play-Doh and the work of Mike Kelley, particularly his pieces that include large assemblages of childhood toys such as More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid and The Wages of Sin (1987) and Deodorized Central Mass with Satellites (1991-99). In the latter, Kelley utilizes amorphous spheres of plush toys to satirize the dogma associated with Abstract Expressionism. In many ways, Koons is doing the same thing, this sculpture appears to fall into the expressionist canon, but although it has the appearance of spontaneity, it is actually minutely designed and engineered. Furthermore, it presents the tensions generated by the modern artist who is a designer rather creator. The piece appears to have been shaped by human hands, bearing the imprints of giant fingers, but has actually been created via a fabrication process undertaken by staff without the physical involvement of the artist.
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