Image via Complex Original
Jeff Koons is a polarizing figure in the art world. He's been referred to as "the most successful artist since Warhol," and he's been called the "King of Kitsch." His works are highly praised by some and mocked by others. Whether or not you like his work, there is no denying that Jeff Koons has created an extremely lucrative brand. With several million dollars worth of art sold at auction, over 100 employees, and numerous awards and gallery shows under his belt, Koons has little left to prove, but still people just don't like him.
Some got to know Koons after his appearance on the Colbert Report but most identify him with his Tulips or various balloon animal sculptures. To teach you more about the man who followed in Marcel Duchamp's "readymade" footsteps and took the art world by storm, we created this list of 25 Things You Didn't Know About Jeff Koons.
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As a child he sold gift-wrapping paper and candies door-to-door.
As a child he sold gift-wrap paper and candies door-to-door.
Many kids have to sell some superfluous item to their neighbors at one point or another to raise money for a sports team, charity, or school club. It sounds like Koons actually enjoyed peddling his goods instead of begging his relatives to shell out a few bucks like everyone else.
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His first job after art school was behind the information desk of the MoMA.
His first job after art school was behind the information desk of the MoMA.
Co-workers remember Koons as a "goofy guy" who would come to work in a costume with an inflatable tie.
His middle name is Lynn.
His middle name is Lynn.
It doesn't appear many of his biographies or even his Wikipedia page, but Koons was born Jeffrey Lynn Koons.
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His blood is on an Ed Paschke painting from the 1970s.
His blood is on an Ed Paschke painting from the 1970s.
Koons worked as Paschke's assistant during college. In a quote taken from a Vanity Fair story, Paschke recalls Koons' stretching large canvases over wood frames, without pliers, until his fingers blistered and bled onto one of the frames. No one knows which painting is sullied with Koons' blood, but the stain would probably raise the work's value.
At eight-years-old, Koons painted copies of Old Master paintings and sold them at his father's furniture store.
At eight-years-old, Koons painted copies of Old Master paintings and sold them at his father's furniture store.
He used to sign his paintings, "Jeffrey Koons." Could you imagine finding one of those in a thrift shop today?
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Bambi (1942) and Goldfinger (1964) are two of his favorite films.
Bambi (1942) and Goldfinger (1964) are two of his favorite films.
In a 2009 Q&A with Interview Magazine, Koons revealed that, despite the comparisons between himself and candy creator Willy Wonka, he didn't enjoy the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). He preferred Bambi because it was a positive, accessible story. Gene Wilder in that tunnel scene must have just been too much for him.
He drove a Pontiac Firebird 400 when he was 16.
He drove a Pontiac Firebird 400 when he was 16.
We were lucky to sit shotgun in a Chevy Celebrity at age 16.
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The custody battle for his son, Ludwig, changed the way he thought about his art.
The custody battle for his son, Ludwig, changed the way he thought about his art.
After his divorce, separating from his wife, Italian porn-star La Cicciolina, Koons entered a long custody battle over his son Ludwig. La Cicciolina "abducted" their son and fled to Italy, later becoming a politician. Koons won custody in 1998, but the child remained with his mother. Koons said of the struggle, "That experience really gave me a sense of responsibility to the public. I was losing my sense of humanity. Now, every day, I feel more and more responsible in the act of communicating and sharing and really trying to be as generous as possible as an artist."
He donated art to a hospital in his hometown.
He donated art to a hospital in his hometown.
Koons was asked by the charity RxArt to help Advocate Children's Hospital spruce up their CT-scan room in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Instead, he transformed the entire room with paint, stickers, and miniature versions of his sculptures.
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Tuna burgers are one of his favorite foods.
Tuna burgers are one of his favorite foods.
The far-from-fancy dish was served at Koons' 50th birthday party, where everyone from Julian Schnabel to Willem Dafoe gathered at Deitch Projects Gallery to celebrate the artist. Pamela Anderson was supposed to pop out of his cake, but she had other plans.
He was called the "art world's Orson Welles."
He was called "the art world's Orson Welles."
In a 1999 review of his "Easyfun" exhibition, Roberta Smith of the New York Times referred to Koons as: "a towering talent subverted by his own temperament and perfectionism who sinks into a fabled obscurity punctuated by occasional comebacks... ["Easyfun"] extends some of his ideas about the buried vitality of kitsch and the fabrication of art objects, but it is not nearly up to Koonsian snuff in terms of originality, beauty or perversity."
Koons is a huge Led Zeppelin fan.
Koons is a huge Led Zeppelin fan.
He has even been known to drink out of a Led Zeppelin mug while directing his assistants.
As a freshman in college, Koons met and hung out with Dali in New York City.
As a freshman in college, Koons met and hung out with Dali in New York City.
Koons was brave enough to give his idol a call and was subsequently invited to New York City to meet Dali at the surrealist painter's hotel and later to see Dali's new exhibition that had just opened. We wish that would fly with famous artists today.
To support his art, Koons worked on Wall Street selling stocks and bonds for six years.
To support his art, Koons worked on Wall Street selling stocks and bonds for six years.
Most rising artists today have day jobs to support their passion, but we doubt many of those jobs involve selling and trading cotton commodities.
The Lobster sculpture that appears in a few of his works is made up of 213 colors.
The Lobster sculpture that appears in a few of his works is made up of 213 colors.
You may only see red, white, black, and yellow, but Koons carefully planned out every shade so that the sculpture would look exactly the way he wanted.
He made Michael Jackson white first.
He made Michael Jackson white first.
Koons was a fan of pop icon Michael Jackson and created "Michael Jackson and Bubbles" during the "Bad Tour" days in 1988, when M.J.'s skin was still a shade of brown. Coincidence? Probably.
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The first piece of art he collected was a Roy Lichtenstein.
The first piece of art he collected was a Roy Lichtenstein.
In an interview with Pharrell Williams for Harper's Bazaar, Koons recalls being on the waiting list to purchase a Lichtenstein piece along with comedic actor Steve Martin. He did finally acquire "Surrealist Head," but was forced to sell it during a time of financial hardship.
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He bought his late grandfather's farm outside of East Prospect, Pennsylvania.
He bought his late grandfather's farm outside of East Prospect, Pennsylvania.
Koons bought and restored the property and spends most of his weekends there with his wife and family. He said in an interview with FlipSide that he didn't buy the property because he wanted his children to experience where he grew up. Instead, Koons claims that he and his wife looked at a lot of farmhouses, and that one was the most beautiful.
He likes cereal because it reminds him of a mother's milk.
He likes cereal because it reminds him of a mother's milk.
Someone has been reading Freud. We like milk because it's tasty, but to each his own.
Helmut Lang once said that Koons was like the son of Pee Wee Herman and Lucille Ball.
Helmut Lang once said that Koons was like the son of Pee Wee Herman and Lucille Ball.
Is that a genuine observation or a diss? We're not sure.
He "tweaks" his work even while it's on display.
He "tweaks" his work even while it's on display.
Many artists will perfect a piece and ship it off to be displayed in galleries across the world, bidding farewell to their works until the exhibition ends. Koons is known to alter his works several times—before, during, and after they were to be exhibited.
He plays "Art Games" with his children at bedtime.
He plays "Art Games" with his children at bedtime.
Which ever child (of the younger six) can match the given artists with their works, which make up Koons' collection, gets to stay up an extra five minutes.
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He employs 120 people, but he isn't comfortable with the term "factory" to describe his business.
He employs 120 people, but he isn't comfortable with the term "factory" to describe his business.
Factory does sound a little...impersonal. We're not sure what he calls it, but it doesn't look much like a playground.
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Koons said that his only parallels in the 20th century were Picasso and Duchamp.
Koons said that his only parallels in the 20th century are Picasso and Duchamp.
This is perhaps the boldest (or cockiest) declaration that an artist could make today.
