Dog Art Today

Tag: jeff koons

  • Will Jeff Koons Sue Kimberly Merrill Over Her Balloon Dogs?

     

    Kimberly_merrill_balloon_dog_painting
    Bubble Up by Kimberly Merrill, 2010

    In response to yesterday's post about Jeff Koons and his ongoing balloon dog litigation, Kimberly Merrill, sent me her latest work, Bubble Up.

    Coincidentally, Kate Taylor of The New York Times also wrote about Koons's balloon dog battles yesterday. The article has some interesting perspectives from copyright lawyers who don't think Koons has a case.  The piece also mentions an interesting three-year (1989-1992) copyright case that Koons lost, Roger v. Koons, aka The String of Puppies case.  

     

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    Puppies by Art Rogers, 1985

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    String of Puppies by Jeff Koons, 1988

    The photographer, Art Rogers, won an undisclosed amount in damages from Koons.   I had no idea there was a whole subset of dog-art-copyright-law.

    I wrote about Kimberly Merrill before here and here.  I think she is one of the best dog painters working today.  Visit her website to see more of her work before she gets a cease-and-desist letter from Koons.

  • Who Owns the Balloon Dog?

     

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    Anonymous balloon dog on Park Life's blog

    Have you been following Jeff Koons's latest legal battle?  He is suing San Francisco's Park Life gallery for copyright infringement for selling balloon dog bookends in their store.  William McGeveran has an excellent article at Capital about Koons's history as a defendant in copyright cases that illustrates the hypocrisy of his claim.  The response on Park Life's blog to Koons's lawyer's cease and desist letter sums up the absurdity:

     “Wait, I’m confused, isn’t his ENTIRE FUCKING CAREER based on co-opting other peoples' work/objects?”

    You decide…

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    Balloon dog bookends from Park Life

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    Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons

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    How to Make a Balloon Dog via Parents.com

    Are Koons's lawyers (Park Life calles them goons) prepared to shut down the clown at your child's birthday party?

    In other what-is-art news, I just watched Bansky's new film "Exit Through the Gift Shop."  It is a riotous Mobius strip of a movie, and it has a clever piece of dog street art in the trailer.  Highly recommend.

    BTW, I didn't realize The Onion uncovered Banksy's identity last summer.  Wow.

  • French Prince Thinks Murakami’s Dog is Grotesque

     

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    Pom and Me by Takashi Murakami

    The Independent's Molly McGuinnes reports from Paris:

    A descendant of France's King Louis XIV is seeking a court order to halt a radical contemporary exhibition by Takashi Murakami in the royal apartments at Versailles because it sullied "supreme good French taste".

    Prince Sixte-Henri de Bourbon-Parme launched his legal action to rid the palace's ornate halls of the fiberglass cartoon figures and giant Buddha statues, calling for "respect of the château and of his ancestors".

    "There are puppets in that exhibition that are frankly grotesque," he said. "Versailles was conceived with the idea of displaying the essence of supreme good French taste.  (read full story)

    There are some who might think the ostentatiousness of Versailles is grotesque, given that it sucked all the money out of the treasury for pure Narcissistic self-indulgence.  And, there are some, like me, who think Prince Sixte-Henri's 2007 support of far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, is even more grotesque. Seriously, if you're going to cling to your title, go race cars or grow organic vegetables like a normal, modern prince, and stop picking fights with cartoon characters.  It's unseemly.

    P.S. Prince Sixte-Henri's nephew, Charles-Emmanuel de Bourbon-Parme wasn't keen on Jeff Koons's dog at Versaille either.  Remember that story?

  • Jeff Koons Opens at Versailles

    Jeff Koons’s Let Them See Kitsch exhibition opens today at Versailles.  The installation of his works in the historic palace created controversy when it was announced this summer, and continues to offend.

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    Magenta (via Kathleen Anderson’s flickr site) in the…

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    …Salon d’Hercule.  Looks like…

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    …this.

    I am divided about the show.  I like the idea of contemporary art juxtaposed with “sacred symbols of heritage and identity,” but given that much of the $3 million project was funded by French billionaire, Francois Pinault, who owns more than a dozen of Koons’s works, I wonder if this is not just a way to juice the artist’s asking price. 

    And, quite frankly, I think if Koons doesn’t rein it in, his work will become the Golden Arches of the art world.  But I guess for an artist that is a high class problem.

    (Magenta in the Salon d’Hercule photo via AFP.  See more photos of the exhibition here.)

  • Jeff Koons Takes His Dog To Versailles

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    Kathleen Anderson's stunning photo of Magenta outside Palazzo Grassi, Venice.  March 1, 2007. Via her flickr site

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    There were mixed reactions last week when it was announced that prolific kitschy pop artist Jeff Koons's work will be on display in the salons of Versailles this fall.  Most notably, for Dog Art Today readers, Magenta, his massive chrome balloon dog will take a place of honor in the former palace's Salon d'Hercule.  The modern sculpture will be juxtaposed beside Veronese's le Repas chez Simon.

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    Salon d'Hercule, Versailles

    Le Repas chez Simon

    Le Repas Chez Simon by Veronese, 1576

    According to Lizzy Davies of The Guardian, there is both excitement about bringing contemporary art into the hallowed national treasure and utter horror that anyone would do so.  But, it's happening.  Many of Koons's most famous works will be on display in the salons and gardens starting September 10 until December 14, 2008. 

    Read more here.

  • Jeff Koons’s Dog Pool Panty

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    The Telegraph’s Alastair Sooke reports on Jeff Koons’s Hulk Elvis and Popeye shows at London’s Gagosian Galleries. Read about the artist’s 85 assistants, the purity of his intent, and a quasi-awkward “payback” moment between Koons and BritArt superstar Damien Hist.

    “A Great deal of [Koons’s] work,” Sooke writes, “evokes innocence – but at the same time feels saturated with sex.” That’s certainly true for the Dog Pool Panty (above) –- a painted aluminium cast of a kiddie wading pool topped with a sexy lingerie photo. Shows run until July 27.

  • Father’s Day Gift # 4: Jeff Koons Book-Object

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    Often seen as the bad boy of the art world, Jeff Koons has a precocious side too, as exhibited by his 43-foot tall floral terrier Puppy that resides outside Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum. If your dad is a fan of this post-pop icon, he’ll love this limited edition art book, Jeff Koons, signed by the artist and published by Taschen (only 1500 copies). Yes, it is $1000, but that’s cheaper than a trip to Spain.

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    Or get him a print of Aaronel deRoy Gruber’s Jeff Koons’ Puppy View 4. (Pictured above.) from Michael Berger Gallery.