Balloon Rabbit (Violet) by Jeff Koons

Provenance:
Private Collection, Toronto

Literature:
Robert Storr, “Interviews on Art”, London, 2017, page 374

In an interview with the art critic Robert Storr, Jeff Koons describes how he views his work: “Some people certainly think that my work is kitsch, but I never see it that way. What I’m saying to people, actually, is that they shouldn’t erase their past, that they should blend together everything they are and move forward. The things they are in contact with — simple, beautiful things. Like a flower, or that little sentimental knick–knack you remember always seeing on visits to your grandmother when you were a small child. At that age, you love things from the past, you have a good relationship with them, but when you grow up — especially when you become involved with art terminology — part of what you do is try to erase all that. My work simply tells people not to reject any part of what they are, to take their history on board.”

In the late 1970s the celebrated American artist began creating sculptures from inflatable plastic toys, with his seminal 1986 stainless steel silver sculpture entitled “Rabbit”, which is one of the most expensive works ever sold by a living artist at auction. This work would become the precursor to Koons’s best–known series of works: “Balloon Swan”, “Balloon Monkey” and “Balloon Rabbit”, a limited edition of three different animals in five vibrant colours.

Nostalgia is described as an excessively sentimental yearning for a return to or of some past period. The subject matter of Koons’s sculptures is instantly recognizable as something that would have captivated us as a child and now intrigues us as adults. Koons has elevated the simple balloon rabbit form by choosing a luxurious violet colour. The highly polished surface of the porcelain acts as a mirror, reflecting the image of the viewer and their surroundings, thus engaging the audience and transforming their visual experience through active participation. Ultimately, “Balloon Rabbit (Violet)” conjures memories of childhood birthday parties, with a clown creating all manner of balloon animals to delight and entertain.