Responsible for works that have entered our collective imagination, largely thanks to his unique and deft ability to marry high and popular culture, Koons regards “shine” as a key feature of his artwork – from the post-modern reinvention of the ready-made to works in perfectly polished metal that appear like inflatable toys. Indeed, “shine” is far more than an ornament: it is the very substance of these works, as this reflective property brings together appearance and essence.
The exhibition will be showcasing a broad selection of the artist’s paintings and sculptures on loan from international collections and museums to explore the concept of “shine” from the splendorous to the gleaming, and from being to seeming: an ambiguous game that characterises Koons’s work using materials and subject matter that call into question our relationship with daily reality and with the very concept of a work of art.
Jeff Koons, Rabbit, 1986
Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Photo by Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago, © Jeff Koons