Love or loathe his readymade art, a new docufilm is out that follows the antics of pop sculptor Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons has left an indelible mark on the arts scene, with many folks divided on whether his works could be considered actual sculpture or more a sign of contemporary, crass potentially mass production. Still, the guy remains one of the most influential, popular and controversial artists in the past few decades.

Jeff Koons’ sculptures continue to simultaneously fascinate and repel audiences, like his Play-Doh sculpture, above, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Throughout his career, Koons has experimented with new approaches to the readymade (a works of art he made from manufactured objects), continually testing the boundaries between advanced art and mass culture while challenging the limits of industrial fabrication. And heck, let’s admit it, Jeff’s been able to turn kitsch into something altogether cool.

A biopic-come-documentary is about hit cinemas, titled Jeff Koons: An Intimate Portrait. Directed by Pappi Corsicato, the film chronicles the hidden dynamics behind the person, the artist and the Koons brand.

Moving from America to Europe and Qatar spanning several decades, the film is a unique opportunity to understand the man who took mass-produced everyday objects and transformed them into the highest form of art, elevating their status from the ordinary to the sublime.

The above artwork by Jeff Koons, titled Balloon Dog Magenta boasts a starting price of A$30,491.48 on art auction website 1st Dibs.

Koons has often shocked public and art industry colleagues with the high prices his works fetch for. His famous ‘Rabbit’ sold at Christies for US$91 Million, an auction record for any work by a living artist.

Through the words of Koons, his sister, his wife and children, as well as critics, gallery owners, artists and scholars (including Mary Boone, Antonio Homem, Stella McCartney and Julian Schnabel) the docu-feature takes an intimate journey into the (often warped) mind of Jeff Koons, discovering what motivates him today and what has shaped his incomparable vision throughout his career.

Witness everyday objects and nostalgia for 20th-century pop transcend their original forms and transformed into very cool works of art.

Antonino Tati

‘Jeff Koons: An Intimate Portrait’ is showing at Luna Leederville and Luna on SX with special screenings on Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 March at 1pm, and Tuesday 5 March at 11am. Tickets are available here.

COMPETITION!

Cream has 4 double passes to give away, to see Jeff Koons: An Intimate Portrait at your choice of either Luna Leederville or Luna on SX. Simply tag a friend whom you’d like to take with you, in the competition Facebook post here. This competition closes 5pm AWST, Wednesday 28 February, 2024 and is open to Perth readers only. Entrants will be notified of their win after 5pm, February 28th and will be asked which box office they’d like to collect their tickets from to see the film at either Luna Leederville or Luna SX.