Art inflation: The king of blow-ups, puppies, and pop

The creations of Jeff Koons (born 1955) are at once immediately accessible and eloquently art historical. From basketball tanks to flower puppies, his instantly recognizable work frolics with banal imagery as much as it integrates cultural references such as Surrealism and Pop Art.

Koons’ art revels in visual pleasure, but also in the power to affront. He has made his name as much for stainless-steel rabbits as he has with his sinister sculpture of Michael Jackson, or his sexually explicit photographic series with then-wife Cicciolina. The result is mega-artist status. An indisputable king of contemporary visual culture, Koons is lauded by collectors, institutions, and the public alike.

With landmark works and concise texts by Katy Siegel, Hans Werner Holzwarth, and Eckhard Schneider, this book offers the complete Koons at a glance, introducing an art world giant from his early inflatable flowers through to today.

About the Series:

Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:

a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance

a concise biography

approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Since 1994, Creative Director Giovanni Bianco has dedicated his unique artistic vision to the worlds of fashion, luxury and entertainment. In 2001, he formed Studio 65, where together with a team of artistic minds and innovative spirits, he serves a high profile, multinational clientele. High end labels like Versace, Miu Miu and Zegna number only a few of those that rely on the Studio s expertise to communicate their brands. In addition, Giovanni Bianco and his Studio have successfully used their savoir-faire to collaborate with Madonna on numerous projects since 2004.

Hans Werner Holzwarth is a book designer and editor based in Berlin, with numerous publications mainly on contemporary art and photography. For TASCHEN he has edited, among other titles, Jeff Koons, Christopher Wool, Albert Oehlen, Neo Rauch and Ai Weiwei.

Eckard Schneider is the Director of the Kunsthaus Bregenz.

Katy Siegel is Professor of Art History at Hunter College where she is Chief Curator of the College Galleries. She is also curator-at-large for the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University.