In other words Jeff does bugger all. He’s a business man, an art banker, with a production factory filled with little art slaves. Thank you for your brilliant videos.
Thanks! I agree - although as I mentioned in the video, I didn't want to go into that too much. It can over-shadow the amazing creative work that actually goes on behind the scenes.
@@alexwilliamyt Granted the old masters had people working in their studios, but the old masters still did part of the actual work, even if it was only on the central figure. I think guys like Koons are great designers, but not sure if I would call what they do being an artist.
It’s easy to be jealous of Koons. I wish it was me too. It must be noted that since the Renaissance many, if not all, major studios have used assistants to realize their artistic vision. Success and fortune are fickle. Koons work is deserving, always was, he’s the lucky one. Well done Jeff.
This colour matching/painting process takes every scrap of humanity and energy transference out the work. Ugh. I want to connect with the person who laid down the mark making as it flows from the subconscious to the canvas. That is a soul to soul experience, as art should be in my opinion. I know that these factory style studios were doing this as far back as the 17th century, maybe earlier, but it was the only humanly possible way to complete the commissions by the patrons. These choices Koons is making now as to process seems to be for the perceived value of the near impossible complexity of the task, as if revealing how it is made makes it somehow more unique or impressive as a final work, that he had to oversee this madness and that in itself is supposed to bedazzle, when really it has been stripped of all human expression (again, just my opinion, my taste, my thoughts).
I can understand the sentiment but Rembrandt and Bob Ross have very few similarities other than being known as "painters". Rembrandt's work would take years and years to finish one painting, and he had an army of helpers like Jeff Koons. Definitely go see a Rembrandt if you ever get the chance, its perfectionism but its appreciated perfectionism. And to paint realistically you need that
I’m not sure if I like Jeff Koon’s ideas of Art. It’s like a designer of an airplane but a large group of people do the building part. Or a writer has an idea for a story but 12 different people write separate chapters to the book. This video makes me appreciate the late artist Bob Ross.
There's quite a few big historic artists that did that though. They didn't want to have any part of the manufacturing process. Not a very good criticism, the internet just hates this guy for no reason
This was my first art job a week after graduating from art school. I still use some of the color matching techniques I learned in this studio. What an education.
I gained a new found respect for Koons, particularly for the team of artists he assembled. I still believe him to be extremely commercial and somewhat crass but he did redeem himself to a degree now knowing of the process.
Absolutely, would like to see more behind the scenes creativity, particularly painters/artists like Jeff Koons. Yours is one of the best videos of this type. Thank you for all your hard work. Excellent detail!!! Thank-you!!!
There's this guy I watch on TH-cam who can really create realistic images because he graduated from art school, but his work has no substance. It's like watching a small child finger paint, to me. But he has a lot of TH-cam subs which equals success. Too bad someone with less opportunity couldn't take his place at a fancy art school
The metal casting for balloon dog may have been manufactured in California, but the actual prototype from which the cast was made, was done in the Soho New York studio. Thats Jeff posing on an early version, taken in the NY studio.
Really enjoy your videos. It’s hard at times to explain our process as an artist and this is a great way to share a glimpse into what makes us as uniquely us
As impressive as Koons's studio process is, the resulting paintings are inert and vacuous, like the paintings that hang in a hotel lobby or in a generic art gallery at the mall. I was fortunate to see Koons's Stainless Steel Bunny Rabbit when it was fresh and new and it did give me an overt visceral reaction, something tingling and sensational and... something his paintings lack. Unfortunately for the Stainless Bunny Rabbit, they are now covered with micro-scratches that ruin the illusion of a helium balloon. Apparently, there isn't a way to polish out the scratches in the stainless steel. These surface scratches result is a balloon that looks heavy, like steel. Oh well, at least we have the Play-Doh.
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Great vid, just suggest being a little more careful with the script. Noticed in the first 20 you said “at an unprecedented scale and speed, and on a massive scale” which is redundant. Don’t wanna lose people quick with errors like that esp in the first 30 sec
I taught and worked in the airbrush art areas from color photo retouching ads, B & W ad Retouch work and then mostly as part of my landscape water color works. Mixing so many colors is from the area of ground pigments, not plant die based paints. The airbrush is the art of the dot, building layers of colored dots on top of other colors without disturbing the under colors. In the 60's while attending art school, I worked part time mixing and matching colors for a large industrial paint manufacturer. From that experience I can understand the need for dozens of color mixes for one hand.
Cool video; learnt a little bit about someone I didn't really know. Fascinating to see what goes on behind the scenes, more of a factory than a studio, and enough to make me think he's less of an artist and more of an ideas man. Although the art isn't my thing, it's subjective isn't it. Methods and ideas keep shifting around, always new ways of bringing things to fruition. It's an interesting time.
this is so distopic. The artist creates the artwork in small scale, and then the multiple craftsman recreate it in a tedious, micro level detail, in a huge canvas, for the Big man to call it theirs… i things this is, at least, a great analogy of the current capitalist society, we done Koons. And btw great videos, im enjoying them a lot
@@conchesodanwell, that´s the typical cliché answer to people who critize contemporary factory artists The truth is most of classic artist didnt use an army of assistants to paint, some they had a few but mainly because you had on those times to manufacture paints, priming canvases, buying stuff, arranging models but most of them except a few they painted all the paintings by themselves. Im artist and for me is a little sad to see a lot of artists becoming more a design studio rather than doing a personal art. I can understand to have assistants to help you with certain things as could be the case of Anselm Kiefer or Chuck Close when he was alive but Marilyn Minter´s case is just a woman saying to other people what to paint.
@ She has a team of painter-workers and in several photos you can see her just directing them… so I guess nowadays surely she doesńt paint or if she does is just a symbolic 5-10% of the total painting work
The strength of Koons art is that such a brilliant commentary on modern culture. Its also quite sarcastic I think and slightly futuristic. I don't think the process matters at all in his work in my opinion, its just about the intended effect of the outcome. The act itself to paint a collage created in tbe computer is a deeply sarcastic comment on the state and importance of painting. It makes the work appear even more artificial instead of just using a digital print, genius in my oinion.
When DuChamp invented Modern Art, he said that he abandoned the Artists hand for the MIND. At this point the idea became the Art. Since then, relevant Artists have come up with the idea and whether they or someone else produces it doesn't matter. DuChamp, a New York transplant from Europe, invented the concept of the "ready made", a found object that he would recontextualize, creating an Art piece. His "Fountain" sculpture is a found urinal placed s a museum exhibit, recontextualized. Nothing has been the same ever since. Jeff Koons is a stated DuChampian.
I didn't know that DuChamp invented modern art. There is a distinction to be made between 'modern art' and 'contemporary art'. The so called Modern era began with the Impressionists and ended in the 1960's when things like, minimalist art and conceptual art was introduced. That was the start of what is now generally referred to as Contemporary art. Modern art includes van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper etc...art from the beginning of Impressionism up to the '60's when all hell broke loose. I think that good conceptual art does exist. What bothers me is that so much attention and value is given to clearly bogus art and artists. Conceptual art was initially an attack on traditional visual arts calling them worthless, self indulgent decoration. I would like to see Sol LeWitt stand in front of a Paul Cezanne and say that! What also bothers me is how Museums and art publications have relinquished their roles as guardians of quality. You do not see grand exhibitions of the work of Thomas Kinkade at The Metropolitan or at Boston's Museum of Fine Art. And rightly so. But to see The Tate give a build up to Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons is a sign that they would rather exhibit the flashy current craze that they think draws the public and which is, to me, an abdication of their function as custodians of quality.
When Koon's was a painting student at my univeristy, my teachers who where his peers, said he spent most of his time on the one computer available checking stocks.
Francis Bacon's Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969) sold for $142.4 million in 2013, so old school painter-at-easel still rules. All of this began at the Renaissance with the invention of the portable framed painting (as opposed to Medieval tapestry) but the real driver was the new economy created by the Medici family who revolutionized banking, creating the art world first by creating the economy that created the collectors, the merchant princes. Now it is capitalism. In 2023, the United States added 500,000 new millionaires, more than any other country in the world, bringing the total number of millionaires in the U.S. to 7.43 million, with a combined fortune of $26.1 trillion. There are over 100 BILLIONAIRES in the "communist" Chinese politburo for crying out loud. So it's not just aristocrats doing tours of the Continent collecting art as it was for centuries. The notion of the artist as culture hero was created in the Renaissance as well; before then they were just nameless artisans no more important than plumbers. It really kicked off with Cellini's autobiography documenting his creating his Perseus bronze statue. I'll give you taste of the drama with this excerpt from Camille Paglia's fantastic SEXUAL PERSONAE: "Cellini’s bronze Perseus is forged in a Wagnerian storm of western will. The artist attacks by earth, air, water, and fire. He piles on wood, brick, iron, copper; he digs a pit; he hauls ropes. He shapes his hero out of clay and wax. He exerts superhuman energies, until he is struck down by fever. Cellini takes to bed in ritual couvade, while Perseus strains to be born. The metal curdles and must be resurrected from the dead. Finally, the shouting, cursing artist, transfigured by creative ecstasy, defeats all obstacles and brings Perseus into the world in an explosion, “a tremendous flash of flame” like a thunderbolt. Cellini has made “miracles,” triumphing by a godlike blend of male and female power. Now Perseus is placed in Florence’s public square. At its unveiling, the crowd sends up “a shout of boundless enthusiasm.” Dozens of sonnets are nailed up, panegyrics by university scholars. The Duke sits for hours hidden in a palace window, listening to citizens acclaim the statue. This thrilling episode demonstrates the potential for collectivity at certain privileged moments in history. The Renaissance made public art, uniting the social classes in a common emotion. A figure on a platform; the mingling of nobles, intellectuals, plebeians: one thinks of the broad audience of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. It is impossible to imagine a modern art work provoking a shout from a socially mixed crowd. Our sole equivalent is cinema, as at the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind. Cellini illustrates the national differences in Renaissance form: in Italy, the objet d’art; in England, drama." How is that for high? Not quite the same as Koons' and Murakami's interns working for extra credit, is it?
I learned many incredible techniques and a solid work ethic making art for other artists. Getting paid to do it was a bonus. Now I am able to employ other artists and craftspeople to help me make things. They have all the freedom to do their own thing in their time and my studio is always available for them to use. Not everyone has the chops to put themself out there.
Even if I could afford it, I don't think I'd buy one of his works--that's just my opinion and taste. Really interesting look at what goes into creating his art, though. Thanks for sharing.
In an economic sense, a work of art is only worth what Simeon is willing to pay for it. Supply and demand. It’s not a con job. He found a niche and people pay to be part of it.
I believe art is an expression of soul and it’s the energy of the process that makes it what it is. In an art class one time, there was a student whose work was an exact copy of the image to the point where it looked like a photoshop filter over a photo. The professor’s advice was actually to not be picture perfect because it’s the strokes and movements that set you apart. Especially in a growing age of digitally rendered artwork
The reason Koons places so much emphasis on the conceptual meaning of his artwork is because he barely has a hand in making the art It's a way that he can feel special as the designer while alienating the craftspeople from their output
As much as I want to say something regarding how his work feels, it doesn't matter. Money has and always will be a driving force behind what artists can achieve and how successful they are. They have always been entwined in business, and Koons is wildly successful because he is business minded. Art is, for those who are very wealthy, not about the feeling as much as it is about the cost and ability to display that cost in such an opulent way. He wins, and those who have a hand in their own work may sneer at that.
Nice how you presented this without relaying your opinion. In the comment section some are expressing their feelings which in return getting negative feedback. I think it is the difficulty for professional artists of all times. Sure they are jealous, not so much on the work but more on the prices that rich people want to pay. Although I myself are not dependent on making a living out of my paintings, I see the struggle of professional artists. Someone as Jeff Koon know exactly what the very rich want, it needs to be impressive (big, shiny and expensive) and unique (not easily te be replicated). Therefor putting many manhours (from his workers) in his paintings/objects. His clientele want to pay a lot, because they can show off to their peers and think it will appreciate over time. I agree the work put into the paintings is impressive, but it’s not the concept that is unique and really touches. Also I think the balloon dogs are nice and funny, but so is my gold/red waving cat that I bought in a Chinese store. I’m more moved by a painting where the painter was inspired by the beauty he/she finds in life. It’s not being jealous of Jeff Koon, as I don’t see money as relevant. In my opinion art should not be judged on production costs (material or labor) or sales price. But if others have a different opinion, that is also ok. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😉
I hope these artists are able to take what they learned to go on and make their own work. Collective effort like this is only interesting to me if the members are able to share in the creative endeavor and share in the results equally. If we think this is cool because it's like the workshops of the great masters, then maybe it's time to rethink why we romanticize those old workshops if they were like this.
The process is fascinating. I like Koons a lot. The balloon dogs are great in their complex simplicity And Michael Jackson with his monkey is a masterpiece.
No, he doesn't. I worked for Jeff for over 11 years. I started at $20/hr in 2007. When I was laid off in 2019, I made $30/hr. I briefly worked there again in 2023 while finishing my degree, and again made $30/hr.
Does anyone know if CJ Hendry also use assistants? Don't come for me, I absolutely respect and in AWE of her works and talent...but just, her speed doesn't seem humanely possible. If she doesn't use assistants?? Which I never heard she did, WOW. Just, WOW...she's superhuman.
It’s a “brand” more than an art. Understandably he has his critics. But the other side of the coin is that he’s not hiding anything about the process, insofar as he is employing others to make it for the market.
Koons' art is his process. The skill and mastery of organization he wields is like that of a commander of an army, or like that of James Cameron directing "Titanic". These men/women marshall forces. That's where their artistry resides. Not easy to do. And woefully underappreciated. Bravo Koons 👏🏾
From a purely business point of view he is extremely successful and smart. There is no question about that. However the real question is whether the financial reward of that business should be his or the artists/craftspeople actually making the things. Good ol' capitalism for ya!
I feel bad for those painters. I spend at least the equivalent time on my own work and find the patience for it because I care about the subject matter on a personal level. I imagine there is quite a regular turnover of art slaves. Thank you for this peak behind the Koons curtain.
Well... I guess if you just want to paint. Join Jeff´s attelier... What I see in another way is that he works just like all the grand masters of the renaissance... yet people do overlook this fact. For me, as a more expressionistic type of artist, I cannot relate to this ultra-methodic process... Not my taste, not the outcomes I enjoy. Plus I do value the charm on single artists doing their best in many aspects.
I desagree with you in that the Great Masters of the Renaissance or Baroque had sometime lots of aprentices; but the Masters knew their work and could perfectly draw, paint or sculpt by themselvels.
call it BS if you want, but to me its just something different altogether. IMO, its kinda like a MIchelin star restaurant -- using an entire team of people focused on miniscule tasks to really push the boundaries of what is possible. and that is awesome! but probably not the place to go if you are hungry and want a perfectly cooked steak
What is that even supposed to mean? Are you familiar with Soviet and Chinese art movements? There's some good stuff, like I am a big fan of the director Tarkovsky, but it's pretty awful too no? The most famous contemporary Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, is wanted by his country's government
@@jeffm3283 It means it's all about the money. It's also called an opinion. My opinion. And you then go any use the word 'good stuff' to describe art movements. Good for you and your opinion. FFS...
@@ZER0-- "this is capitalist art" is a terrible comment there's no need to get mad. It's always been about the money. Since before Capitalism was a thing
@@jeffm3283 Sorry for the 'ffs'. I think I'd had a few. I just think that it is totally about the money with Koons.But as I said each to their own. Peace and love, to make up for the 'ffs'. Take care.
The paintings are impressive from a technical standpoint, but they lack meaningful substance. I keep trying to find something in them but it's like they repel all attempts to connect or see something beyond the surface. All the same, if people want to spend massive amounts of money on them, I don't actually mind, since I'd still rather that money goes to this than to other things massively rich people could buy
There's a lot of critiques to be made about "factory" art, definitely. You should look up Koons' statue of Michael Jackson and his monkey, I forget the monkey's name, but it is what made Koons be 'annointed' in the art world. It is like someone else said, meant to be too golden and ridiculous looking, and a criticism of the art world. Sorry for leaving 50 comments to my TH-cam guy, I'll sub hah
@@jeffm3283 Also meant to say that I don't have any issue with factory production of pieces, since they still require skill on the part of the artisans, artists, and technicians. My reaction is specifically to these particular pieces from Koons' studio, and I know they're not meant for me, so in the big scheme of things, my opinion on them is not really important
I much prefer New York based artists like George Condo or Amy Sillman who actually paint every one of their paintings themselves and are very humble 😊😊
Condo is humble??????? Having seen his self-promotional videos featuring the creation of extremely large bad drawings, I cannot see a shred of humility there. He truly lacks talent.
So much art criticism and history on here is real rubbish. This on the other hand is excellent, accurate and lacking an opionated bias. Love these vids! Thanks for posting.
This may explain why jeff koons faked classical paintings feel dead in person… i saw a show of the classical paintings at gagosian with the blue spheres… i got no feeling from any of them
Yea i'll be honest those pieces did nothing for me either. Strange project to be honest. However, the skill, patience and effort they took to produce is amazing. Hopefully that came across in my video.
Wait... Is this an example of how AI art works like now? But instead of AI, he used people working like machines to bring out his ideas? The so called the idea matters and not the method. Even the artist didn't paint almost nothing and left all the work to his minions... So does the same criticism about the method and yada yada applies here? Is it lazy? Is it fake? Is the idea what counts only? Should it lose value, because it was done by other people? What's the difference from this to an AI creator imputing prompts? Should the final piece have everyone who worked on the project have their signatures as well in it? Interested to see what people think about this.
Let me begin by telling you that when my brother was just starting school, he rebelled at the rules of spelling. Why did words have to be spelled in a particular way? Why couldn't he spell them as he wanted to spell them? He resented the rules and he resisted the authority of those who made them ! Keep this in mind. I think that Conceptual art originated with people who could not and would not do the difficult work required to become a 'traditional' artist. Can't master the necessary skills ? No knowledge of perspective? Can't draw? Don't want to have to learn color theory? Can't master composition? No knowledge of human anatomy? Can't render tonal values Can’t be bothered ? These are skills that you have to WORK to perfect. It’s difficult. It takes…..effort. But you want a fast track to the exalted position of "artist “. Well then, belittle the importance of those skills and debase the notion that they are a prerequisite to creating art. Instead, create an art genre that you CAN do. A new genre. And let's call it Conceptual art. Conceptual artists claim that IDEAS and CONCEPTS are the main feature of their art. They can slap anything together and call it ''conceptual art'' confident that viewers will find SOMETHING to think about it no matter how banal or trivial the artist's concept! There is no way conceptual art pieces can be judged. The promoters of this art have attacked the motives and credibility of authorities and critics who might disparage the work. They have rejected museums and galleries as defining authorities. They reject the idea that art can be judged or criticized . All of this results in a decline in standards. And when you jettison standards, quality suffers. There really IS such a thing as BAD art ! We know this only because we have standards and criteria by which such things can be evaluated. It seems that conceptual art comes down to a basic idea: No one has the right or authority to make any judgements about art ! Art is anything you can get away with ! A whole new language has been created to give the work an air of legitimacy and gravitas. Conceptual art is 'sold' to the unwary public with ....."ArtSpeak". ArtSpeak is a unique assemblage of English words and phrases that the International Art world uses but which are devoid of meaning! Have you ever found yourself confronted by an art gallery’s description of an exhibition which seems completely indecipherable? Or an artist’s statement about their work which left you more confused than enlightened? You’re not alone. Here are examples of ArtSpeak: 'Works that probe the dialectic between innovations that seem to have been forgotten, the ruinous present state of projects once created amid great euphoria, and the present as an era of transitions and new beginnings.'' Or ''The exhibition reactivates his career-long investigation into the social mutations of desire and repression. But his earlier concerns with repression production--in the adolescent or in the family as a whole--give way to the vertiginous retrieval and wayward reinvention of mythical community and sub-cultural traditions.'' This language is meant to convince me that there is real substance to this drivel which is being passed off as art. I don't buy it. But plenty of other people DO buy it. Not because they love the work. They are laying out enormous sums in the belief that their investment will bring them high returns in the future. One Jeff Koons conceptual piece is three basketballs suspended in a fish tank. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three_Ball_Total_Equilibrium_Tank_by_Jeff_Koons,_Tate_Liverpool.jpg Here is Koons' own ArtSpeak explanation of his floating basketball 'concept' verbatim: “ This is an ultimate state of being. I wanted to play with people’s desires. They desire this equilibrium. They desire pre-birth. I was giving a definition of life and death. This is the eternal. This is what life is like, also, after death. Aspects of the eternal” Rather lofty goals for 3 basketballs suspended in a fish tank!! It sold for $350,000. I wonder what it would have fetched without Koons' name attached to it. Or take the case of Martin Creed's ball of crumpled white copy paper. www.abebooks.com/signed/Work-sheet-paper-crumpled-ball-Creed/7404135374/bd He made almost 700 of them! Some sold for hundreds of dollars. Martin Creed, when asked during an interview how he would respond to those who say the crumpled paper ball isn’t art said : “ I wouldn’t call this art either. Who says, anyway, what’s good and what’s bad?” Interviewer: ''When confronted with conceptual art, we shouldn’t worry whether it’s art or not because no one really knows what art is.''6 Is this what art has come to?? _________________________________ Something radical has happened to the art scene in the past 60 years. Cubism slid into non-representational art....what is often called Abstract. Abstract or non-representational art is a legitimate and often profound genre. But to many people, it appeared as if this new style had no structure, principles or standards of evaluation. It’s markings seemed random and arbitrary. Something that anyone could do. Any composition of blotches or scribbles was “Abstract Art”. This was the slippery slope that led to the abandonment of standards in art. Art is what I say it is....and lots of people jumped on the art bandwagon. Anyone can be an artist. Anyone can mount a show. And who is to say if it has value or not ? A tacit agreement has formed among critics, galleries, publications and auction houses to promote and celebrate certain artists and styles. Objects with no artistic merit are touted and praised . Their value increases with every magazine article, every exhibition in a prestigious gallery. And when they come up for auction, sometimes the auction houses will lend vast sums to a bidder so that it appears as if the work of the particular artist is increasing in value. The upward spiral begins and fortunes are made. And many are reluctant to declare that the Emperor is, in fact, naked lest they appear boorish unsophisticated Philistines ! This is what dominates the art market today. The love of money is the root of all evil. It has corrupted politics. It has corrupted sport. It has corrupted healthcare. It has corrupted religion. And now it has corrupted art. But, there is reason to hope. As much of the wisdom of the Greeks and Romans was kept alive through the Middle Ages in small pockets of learning and culture, ateliers have sprung up around the world that are devoted to preserving and handing down the traditional visual arts: drawing, painting and sculpting to each new generation. And when this craze for conceptual art has burned itself out and when visual art is no longer looked on as mere decoration and when schools that have dissolved their art programs want to reestablish them again, the world will find these skills preserved through the atelier movement.
as a painter seeing this kind of production of paintings is the saddest i have seen for a long time. for sure some talented artists are wasting their time in that studio, working as living plotters, maybe even proud to be part of of the koons team.
This form of working is not for me..definitely not a fan of most of Koons laboured output... but I saw the giant flower puppy in Spain .... it was really impressive...
Andy was well known for writing collum in magazines and slash everyone down, and he used that to make money with Art. He was a despicable character and a couple of artists committed suicide because him. He hasn't broken any boundaries and he didn't do anything new. Do your homework and you find it was only marketing nothing else.
well I feel a little better knowing he designs his own stuff but the only thing he should put his name on is the original photo collage . The rest of his stuff are just forgeries. absolute shit elevated by a bullshit story I don't mind that he does it, just that "experts" put such value on things while they consider true beauty valueless because the kid making it is unknown.
Anyone can be called an artist these days, even when you don't create art yourself. Art has lost it's meaning and true value. But that's just my opinion.
@ Just because you decide to put 'artist' behind a silly word doesn't mean it makes him an artist. Shame his 'employees' have to take a back seat to a talentless, unskilled, egomaniac, while they do all the work and he sits around getting drunk off of undeserved attention. Photo collage is also not an art form if that wasn't made clear.
Let's see. He comes up with an idea, and his assistants (the ones with the real talent) do all of the work. Then someone pays tens of millions of dollars to pat themselves on the back to tell their friends, "Look what I've got!" A perfect example of "The Emperor's New Clothes." Or another way of putting it people with more money than brains. I think I'll get some duct tape and bananas and see what I can create.
(disclaimer: im just here to shit on koons so if youre not here for that skip this comment) koons art is about as interesting as stepping in dogshit on a rainy day.....art studios have been around forever. Rubens had one, Titian had one, Michelangelo had one, to name a few. the difference is, in the past, assistants did the drudgework (mixed paint, mixed plaster etc, and the "names" did the fine work. when he's dead (which can't happen soon enough for my liking) who is going to remember "New Hoover Convertibles, Green, Blue"? nobody, because it's junk, like everything else he "makes".
A perfect mirror of our "post-modern" times - shallow, gaudy and meaningless. "kitschy elements in 'Art with the big K' and bigger bucks. modern chicanery at its best. Compare, with let's say Moore, Noguchi, George Minne, Rodin. Let's go to Du Champ who abandoned the whole art scene to do chess in 1918. But we artists keep going.
I respect artists who make all of their work by themselves
In other words Jeff does bugger all. He’s a business man, an art banker, with a production factory filled with little art slaves.
Thank you for your brilliant videos.
💯
Enjoy your videos, but Koons is a prime example of the NY Art Market Con Job
Thanks! I agree - although as I mentioned in the video, I didn't want to go into that too much. It can over-shadow the amazing creative work that actually goes on behind the scenes.
@@alexwilliamyt Granted the old masters had people working in their studios, but the old masters still did part of the actual work, even if it was only on the central figure. I think guys like Koons are great designers, but not sure if I would call what they do being an artist.
@@douglasriddle6447 the role of the artist changes in tandem with technology
It’s easy to be jealous of Koons. I wish it was me too. It must be noted that since the Renaissance many, if not all, major studios have used assistants to realize their artistic vision. Success and fortune are fickle. Koons work is deserving, always was, he’s the lucky one. Well done Jeff.
@@robertpepper5256 Koons produces kitsch, which again is part of the "Art Market Con Job. The fact that he has a staff is not the issue.
This colour matching/painting process takes every scrap of humanity and energy transference out the work. Ugh. I want to connect with the person who laid down the mark making as it flows from the subconscious to the canvas. That is a soul to soul experience, as art should be in my opinion. I know that these factory style studios were doing this as far back as the 17th century, maybe earlier, but it was the only humanly possible way to complete the commissions by the patrons. These choices Koons is making now as to process seems to be for the perceived value of the near impossible complexity of the task, as if revealing how it is made makes it somehow more unique or impressive as a final work, that he had to oversee this madness and that in itself is supposed to bedazzle, when really it has been stripped of all human expression (again, just my opinion, my taste, my thoughts).
Yes back in 15th century Italy artists studios
I can understand the sentiment but Rembrandt and Bob Ross have very few similarities other than being known as "painters". Rembrandt's work would take years and years to finish one painting, and he had an army of helpers like Jeff Koons. Definitely go see a Rembrandt if you ever get the chance, its perfectionism but its appreciated perfectionism. And to paint realistically you need that
Might as well do them digitally.
Plastic art for plastic people.
Im sayin
I worked for Koons for almost a decade. It became one of the most neurotic working environments I have ever experienced.
Please explain. I would love to hear it. Thankyou
Yes, spill the beans.
I’m not sure if I like Jeff Koon’s ideas of Art. It’s like a designer of an airplane but a large group of people do the building part. Or a writer has an idea for a story but 12 different people write separate chapters to the book. This video makes me appreciate the late artist Bob Ross.
Ditto 😂
There's quite a few big historic artists that did that though. They didn't want to have any part of the manufacturing process. Not a very good criticism, the internet just hates this guy for no reason
People who call out people on their BS are now called "haters"...
... or trolls.
I hate jeff koons . Hater here !
So true! This world has flipped upside down and is officially crazy 🤪!
This was my first art job a week after graduating from art school. I still use some of the color matching techniques I learned in this studio. What an education.
Awesome!
@@alexwilliamytI was honored to have had the pleasure to work & live on Rosenquest Stuido in FL
Cool. I worked with Leroy Neiman in the '80s. People make fun of his style, his commercialization, but he was very good technically, and a nice guy.
What job did you move on too?
That's cool
Like the old Apprentice system in Italy
Prior to this I had no idea of just how much effort went into one of Jeff Koons' pieces.
😂
I gained a new found respect for Koons, particularly for the team of artists he assembled. I still believe him to be extremely commercial and somewhat crass but he did redeem himself to a degree now knowing of the process.
from him, it's zero effort, and far less impressive once knowing the truth
We can see why he is the most smiling artist in the Art World.
As an artist, I really enjoyed your video with in depth details of Jeff Koons manufacturing process.
Absolutely, would like to see more behind the scenes creativity, particularly painters/artists like Jeff Koons. Yours is one of the best videos of this type. Thank you for all your hard work. Excellent detail!!! Thank-you!!!
Thank you! More to come!
Complete the circle Koons- claim your business a cooperative and divided the wealth and value (you extract). He’s an extractionist.
Some "Artists" are just brands nowadays
There's this guy I watch on TH-cam who can really create realistic images because he graduated from art school, but his work has no substance. It's like watching a small child finger paint, to me. But he has a lot of TH-cam subs which equals success. Too bad someone with less opportunity couldn't take his place at a fancy art school
Same with artist such as Titian.
The metal casting for balloon dog may have been manufactured in California, but the actual prototype from which the cast was made, was done in the Soho New York studio. Thats Jeff posing on an early version, taken in the NY studio.
Interesting, thanks for the info!
Really enjoy your videos. It’s hard at times to explain our process as an artist and this is a great way to share a glimpse into what makes us as uniquely us
It’s incredible that there’s people that thinks that this is art, or that Koons is the artist.
pot calling the kettle black. the art understander is telling us what art is everyone listen
@@jeffm3283
I am listening. And I agree.
@@renzo6490 the Michael Jackson statue is what cemented him as an artist to me, and his purposely gauche statues etc
As impressive as Koons's studio process is, the resulting paintings are inert and vacuous, like the paintings that hang in a hotel lobby or in a generic art gallery at the mall. I was fortunate to see Koons's Stainless Steel Bunny Rabbit when it was fresh and new and it did give me an overt visceral reaction, something tingling and sensational and... something his paintings lack. Unfortunately for the Stainless Bunny Rabbit, they are now covered with micro-scratches that ruin the illusion of a helium balloon. Apparently, there isn't a way to polish out the scratches in the stainless steel. These surface scratches result is a balloon that looks heavy, like steel. Oh well, at least we have the Play-Doh.
Jeffrey would've made it as an agency Creative Director, easily. Being good at that is a talent in and of itself. The suit helps too.
Is this art or business!!! An artist should paint by himself!!
Art history is rife with artists who've used assistants. For instance, Peter Paul Rubens. The myth of the genius loner was perpetuated by Van Gogh.
Most of Renaissance most famous works are commissioned tho. Are Mona Lisa not art because it was commissioned by someone
You have no idea
Throught history artist have used assistants in workshops. Nothing new.
This is a really interesting topic and a very good video!
Thanks!
Thanks for watching! If you want to support the production of these videos, liking the video will go a long way!
Or, check out my Instagram (link in description) and consider dropping me a follow. I'm aiming to reach 1k followers before the end of the year.
Great vid, just suggest being a little more careful with the script. Noticed in the first 20 you said “at an unprecedented scale and speed, and on a massive scale” which is redundant. Don’t wanna lose people quick with errors like that esp in the first 30 sec
Brilliant, thank you!
I taught and worked in the airbrush art areas from color photo retouching ads, B & W ad Retouch work and then mostly as part of my landscape water color works. Mixing so many colors is from the area of ground pigments, not plant die based paints.
The airbrush is the art of the dot, building layers of colored dots on top of other colors without disturbing the under colors.
In the 60's while attending art school, I worked part time mixing and matching colors for a large industrial paint manufacturer. From that experience I can understand the need for dozens of color mixes for one hand.
I love these videos so much, these deep dives make me think how the act of creating can be so involved an thought out! Thank you for making this!
Thanks for the support! :)
Cool video; learnt a little bit about someone I didn't really know. Fascinating to see what goes on behind the scenes, more of a factory than a studio, and enough to make me think he's less of an artist and more of an ideas man.
Although the art isn't my thing, it's subjective isn't it. Methods and ideas keep shifting around, always new ways of bringing things to fruition. It's an interesting time.
this is so distopic. The artist creates the artwork in small scale, and then the multiple craftsman recreate it in a tedious, micro level detail, in a huge canvas, for the Big man to call it theirs… i things this is, at least, a great analogy of the current capitalist society, we done Koons.
And btw great videos, im enjoying them a lot
well... I guess you don´t like Renaissance master´s either based on what you said here.
@@conchesodanwell, that´s the typical cliché answer to people who critize contemporary factory artists The truth is most of classic artist didnt use an army of assistants to paint, some they had a few but mainly because you had on those times to manufacture paints, priming canvases, buying stuff, arranging models but most of them except a few they painted all the paintings by themselves. Im artist and for me is a little sad to see a lot of artists becoming more a design studio rather than doing a personal art. I can understand to have assistants to help you with certain things as could be the case of Anselm Kiefer or Chuck Close when he was alive but Marilyn Minter´s case is just a woman saying to other people what to paint.
Yeah its more about creating a personality as an artist and knowing rich people. And money laundering
@@yisusferro603 Marilyn Minter doesn’t paint anymore?
@ She has a team of painter-workers and in several photos you can see her just directing them… so I guess nowadays surely she doesńt paint or if she does is just a symbolic 5-10% of the total painting work
I am missing the point of how they get the outline of the image on the canvas. Are they projecting it?
Their methods varied, but a lot of the time it was with a special paper called graphite transfer paper.
The strength of Koons art is that such a brilliant commentary on modern culture. Its also quite sarcastic I think and slightly futuristic. I don't think the process matters at all in his work in my opinion, its just about the intended effect of the outcome. The act itself to paint a collage created in tbe computer is a deeply sarcastic comment on the state and importance of painting. It makes the work appear even more artificial instead of just using a digital print, genius in my oinion.
the intended outcome is for eedjits to throw money at him. That's it.
1:50 what about Basquiat skull ?
He's quoting the highest prices at auction for artworks by a "living artist."
I believe it was buried with him...
When DuChamp invented Modern Art, he said that he abandoned the Artists hand for the MIND. At this point the idea became the Art. Since then, relevant Artists have come up with the idea and whether they or someone else produces it doesn't matter. DuChamp, a New York transplant from Europe, invented the concept of the "ready made", a found object that he would recontextualize, creating an Art piece. His "Fountain" sculpture is a found urinal placed s a museum exhibit, recontextualized. Nothing has been the same ever since. Jeff Koons is a stated DuChampian.
I didn't know that DuChamp invented modern art.
There is a distinction to be made between 'modern art' and 'contemporary art'.
The so called Modern era began with the Impressionists and ended in the 1960's when things like, minimalist art and conceptual art was introduced.
That was the start of what is now generally referred to as Contemporary art.
Modern art includes van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper etc...art from the beginning of Impressionism up to the '60's when all hell broke loose.
I think that good conceptual art does exist.
What bothers me is that so much attention and value is given to clearly bogus art and artists.
Conceptual art was initially an attack on traditional visual arts calling them worthless, self indulgent decoration.
I would like to see Sol LeWitt stand in front of a Paul Cezanne and say that!
What also bothers me is how Museums and art publications have relinquished their roles as guardians of quality.
You do not see grand exhibitions of the work of Thomas Kinkade at The Metropolitan or at Boston's Museum of Fine Art.
And rightly so.
But to see The Tate give a build up to Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons is a sign that they would rather exhibit the flashy current craze that they think draws the public and which is, to me, an abdication of their function as custodians of quality.
When Koon's was a painting student at my univeristy, my teachers who where his peers, said he spent most of his time on the one computer available checking stocks.
Francis Bacon's Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969) sold for $142.4 million in 2013, so old school painter-at-easel still rules. All of this began at the Renaissance with the invention of the portable framed painting (as opposed to Medieval tapestry) but the real driver was the new economy created by the Medici family who revolutionized banking, creating the art world first by creating the economy that created the collectors, the merchant princes. Now it is capitalism. In 2023, the United States added 500,000 new millionaires, more than any other country in the world, bringing the total number of millionaires in the U.S. to 7.43 million, with a combined fortune of $26.1 trillion. There are over 100 BILLIONAIRES in the "communist" Chinese politburo for crying out loud. So it's not just aristocrats doing tours of the Continent collecting art as it was for centuries. The notion of the artist as culture hero was created in the Renaissance as well; before then they were just nameless artisans no more important than plumbers. It really kicked off with Cellini's autobiography documenting his creating his Perseus bronze statue. I'll give you taste of the drama with this excerpt from Camille Paglia's fantastic SEXUAL PERSONAE:
"Cellini’s bronze Perseus is forged in a Wagnerian storm of western will. The artist attacks by earth, air, water, and fire. He
piles on wood, brick, iron, copper; he digs a pit; he hauls ropes. He shapes his hero out of clay and wax. He exerts superhuman energies, until he is struck down by fever. Cellini takes to bed in ritual couvade, while Perseus strains to be born. The metal curdles and must be resurrected from the dead. Finally, the shouting, cursing artist, transfigured by creative ecstasy, defeats
all obstacles and brings Perseus into the world in an explosion, “a tremendous flash of flame” like a thunderbolt. Cellini has made “miracles,” triumphing by a godlike blend of male and female power.
Now Perseus is placed in Florence’s public square. At its unveiling, the crowd sends up “a shout of boundless enthusiasm.” Dozens of sonnets are nailed up, panegyrics by university scholars. The Duke sits for hours hidden in a palace window, listening to citizens acclaim the statue. This thrilling episode demonstrates the potential for collectivity at certain privileged moments in history. The Renaissance made public art, uniting the social classes in a common emotion. A figure on a platform; the mingling of nobles, intellectuals, plebeians: one thinks of the broad audience of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. It is impossible to imagine a modern art work provoking a shout from a socially mixed crowd. Our sole equivalent is
cinema, as at the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind. Cellini illustrates the national differences in Renaissance form: in Italy, the objet d’art; in England, drama."
How is that for high? Not quite the same as Koons' and Murakami's interns working for extra credit, is it?
Great video 👏
I learned many incredible techniques and a solid work ethic making art for other artists. Getting paid to do it was a bonus. Now I am able to employ other artists and craftspeople to help me make things. They have all the freedom to do their own thing in their time and my studio is always available for them to use. Not everyone has the chops to put themself out there.
Why the low number? To keep the prices higher.
Even if I could afford it, I don't think I'd buy one of his works--that's just my opinion and taste. Really interesting look at what goes into creating his art, though. Thanks for sharing.
So why does Jeff get all the credit when a team built the artwork?
Same with such artists as Ruben's and Titian.
In an economic sense, a work of art is only worth what Simeon is willing to pay for it. Supply and demand. It’s not a con job. He found a niche and people pay to be part of it.
I believe art is an expression of soul and it’s the energy of the process that makes it what it is. In an art class one time, there was a student whose work was an exact copy of the image to the point where it looked like a photoshop filter over a photo. The professor’s advice was actually to not be picture perfect because it’s the strokes and movements that set you apart. Especially in a growing age of digitally rendered artwork
I guess for me the point of art is not perfection
Your videos are real eye-opener
The reason Koons places so much emphasis on the conceptual meaning of his artwork is because he barely has a hand in making the art
It's a way that he can feel special as the designer while alienating the craftspeople from their output
As much as I want to say something regarding how his work feels, it doesn't matter. Money has and always will be a driving force behind what artists can achieve and how successful they are. They have always been entwined in business, and Koons is wildly successful because he is business minded. Art is, for those who are very wealthy, not about the feeling as much as it is about the cost and ability to display that cost in such an opulent way.
He wins, and those who have a hand in their own work may sneer at that.
Can deone explain how this is art, I struggle
This "art" just got famous in one of the right cities.The level of fame is the only reason it's worth so much money to investors
Loved it - thanks. :)
Thanks for watching! :)
Nice how you presented this without relaying your opinion. In the comment section some are expressing their feelings which in return getting negative feedback. I think it is the difficulty for professional artists of all times. Sure they are jealous, not so much on the work but more on the prices that rich people want to pay. Although I myself are not dependent on making a living out of my paintings, I see the struggle of professional artists. Someone as Jeff Koon know exactly what the very rich want, it needs to be impressive (big, shiny and expensive) and unique (not easily te be replicated). Therefor putting many manhours (from his workers) in his paintings/objects. His clientele want to pay a lot, because they can show off to their peers and think it will appreciate over time. I agree the work put into the paintings is impressive, but it’s not the concept that is unique and really touches. Also I think the balloon dogs are nice and funny, but so is my gold/red waving cat that I bought in a Chinese store. I’m more moved by a painting where the painter was inspired by the beauty he/she finds in life.
It’s not being jealous of Jeff Koon, as I don’t see money as relevant. In my opinion art should not be judged on production costs (material or labor) or sales price. But if others have a different opinion, that is also ok. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😉
I hope these artists are able to take what they learned to go on and make their own work. Collective effort like this is only interesting to me if the members are able to share in the creative endeavor and share in the results equally. If we think this is cool because it's like the workshops of the great masters, then maybe it's time to rethink why we romanticize those old workshops if they were like this.
I would say a business man, one in the leauge your in. Yet his ideas are good.
The process is fascinating. I like Koons a lot. The balloon dogs are great in their complex simplicity And Michael Jackson with his monkey is a masterpiece.
And youre stupid
He pays them $14 an hour. Terrible.
This is just an extension of Mr. brainwash, fake art😂
No, he doesn't. I worked for Jeff for over 11 years. I started at $20/hr in 2007. When I was laid off in 2019, I made $30/hr. I briefly worked there again in 2023 while finishing my degree, and again made $30/hr.
@@KEP1983 and, interestingly, he’s not hiding the process of producing the product/art. There’s a market for it, and he’s got buyers who want it.
My son a media artist says he’s a jerk
@@KEP1983goody for you
I'm curious what these artists make...
Does anyone know if CJ Hendry also use assistants? Don't come for me, I absolutely respect and in AWE of her works and talent...but just, her speed doesn't seem humanely possible. If she doesn't use assistants?? Which I never heard she did, WOW. Just, WOW...she's superhuman.
I don't think she does, no. Her studio is pretty cool, I might feature it in a future video :)
The fine art market is a sickness, not a celebration of art.
This is awesome!
Art shouldn't be sweatshop, it used to be an appreciation to human ingenuity and cognitive aptitude
It’s a “brand” more than an art. Understandably he has his critics. But the other side of the coin is that he’s not hiding anything about the process, insofar as he is employing others to make it for the market.
Koons' art is his process. The skill and mastery of organization he wields is like that of a commander of an army, or like that of James Cameron directing "Titanic". These men/women marshall forces. That's where their artistry resides. Not easy to do. And woefully underappreciated. Bravo Koons 👏🏾
What is creative about copying extracting?
his studio is awesome!
It's Paint by Numbers...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I Lather On The Pure Undiluted Oils Onto My Canvases . ❤🎉
interesting
Souless, I hate it. Insulting to art and artists.
I have a new appreciation of Koons. It’s smart business.
From a purely business point of view he is extremely successful and smart. There is no question about that. However the real question is whether the financial reward of that business should be his or the artists/craftspeople actually making the things. Good ol' capitalism for ya!
I feel bad for those painters. I spend at least the equivalent time on my own work and find the patience for it because I care about the subject matter on a personal level. I imagine there is quite a regular turnover of art slaves. Thank you for this peak behind the Koons curtain.
I would be surprendre if he even makes the photoshops of the "original" pieces
Hope those artists doing all the work and getting no credit are at least getting paid well.
Well... I guess if you just want to paint. Join Jeff´s attelier... What I see in another way is that he works just like all the grand masters of the renaissance... yet people do overlook this fact. For me, as a more expressionistic type of artist, I cannot relate to this ultra-methodic process... Not my taste, not the outcomes I enjoy. Plus I do value the charm on single artists doing their best in many aspects.
I desagree with you in that the Great Masters of the Renaissance or Baroque had sometime lots of aprentices; but the Masters knew their work and could perfectly draw, paint or sculpt by themselvels.
call it BS if you want, but to me its just something different altogether.
IMO, its kinda like a MIchelin star restaurant -- using an entire team of people focused on miniscule tasks to really push the boundaries of what is possible.
and that is awesome! but probably not the place to go if you are hungry and want a perfectly cooked steak
As a muralist and oil painter who creates rather intuitively, their painting process sounds torturous
This is capitalist art imho.
What is that even supposed to mean? Are you familiar with Soviet and Chinese art movements? There's some good stuff, like I am a big fan of the director Tarkovsky, but it's pretty awful too no? The most famous contemporary Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, is wanted by his country's government
@@jeffm3283 It means it's all about the money. It's also called an opinion. My opinion. And you then go any use the word 'good stuff' to describe art movements. Good for you and your opinion. FFS...
@@ZER0-- "this is capitalist art" is a terrible comment there's no need to get mad. It's always been about the money. Since before Capitalism was a thing
@@jeffm3283 Sorry for the 'ffs'. I think I'd had a few. I just think that it is totally about the money with Koons.But as I said each to their own. Peace and love, to make up for the 'ffs'. Take care.
@@ZER0-- i was definitely drunk when posting like 50 comments, you're cool beau
Will Jeff Koon's children work for him as indentured slaves or keep themselves independent and free people.
The paintings are impressive from a technical standpoint, but they lack meaningful substance. I keep trying to find something in them but it's like they repel all attempts to connect or see something beyond the surface. All the same, if people want to spend massive amounts of money on them, I don't actually mind, since I'd still rather that money goes to this than to other things massively rich people could buy
There's a lot of critiques to be made about "factory" art, definitely. You should look up Koons' statue of Michael Jackson and his monkey, I forget the monkey's name, but it is what made Koons be 'annointed' in the art world. It is like someone else said, meant to be too golden and ridiculous looking, and a criticism of the art world. Sorry for leaving 50 comments to my TH-cam guy, I'll sub hah
@@jeffm3283 I'll look it up, thanks for the rec
@@jeffm3283 Also meant to say that I don't have any issue with factory production of pieces, since they still require skill on the part of the artisans, artists, and technicians. My reaction is specifically to these particular pieces from Koons' studio, and I know they're not meant for me, so in the big scheme of things, my opinion on them is not really important
I much prefer New York based artists like George Condo or Amy Sillman who actually paint every one of their paintings themselves and are very humble 😊😊
Condo is humble??????? Having seen his self-promotional videos featuring the creation of extremely large bad drawings, I cannot see a shred of humility there. He truly lacks talent.
So much art criticism and history on here is real rubbish. This on the other hand is excellent, accurate and lacking an opionated bias. Love these vids! Thanks for posting.
Much appreciated, thank you!
This may explain why jeff koons faked classical paintings feel dead in person… i saw a show of the classical paintings at gagosian with the blue spheres… i got no feeling from any of them
Yea i'll be honest those pieces did nothing for me either. Strange project to be honest. However, the skill, patience and effort they took to produce is amazing. Hopefully that came across in my video.
I've got it . . . "Retentive Shysterism."
Aaaaaaaaand, that's why the work has no soul.
If you didn’t make it you are not the artist.
Wait... Is this an example of how AI art works like now? But instead of AI, he used people working like machines to bring out his ideas? The so called the idea matters and not the method.
Even the artist didn't paint almost nothing and left all the work to his minions...
So does the same criticism about the method and yada yada applies here?
Is it lazy? Is it fake? Is the idea what counts only? Should it lose value, because it was done by other people? What's the difference from this to an AI creator imputing prompts?
Should the final piece have everyone who worked on the project have their signatures as well in it?
Interested to see what people think about this.
Let me begin by telling you that when my brother was just starting school, he rebelled at the rules of spelling.
Why did words have to be spelled in a particular way?
Why couldn't he spell them as he wanted to spell them?
He resented the rules and he resisted the authority of those who made them !
Keep this in mind.
I think that Conceptual art originated with people who could not and would not do the difficult work required to become a 'traditional' artist.
Can't master the necessary skills ?
No knowledge of perspective?
Can't draw?
Don't want to have to learn color theory?
Can't master composition?
No knowledge of human anatomy?
Can't render tonal values
Can’t be bothered ?
These are skills that you have to WORK to perfect.
It’s difficult.
It takes…..effort.
But you want a fast track to the exalted position of "artist “.
Well then, belittle the importance of those skills and debase the notion that they are a prerequisite to creating art.
Instead, create an art genre that you CAN do.
A new genre.
And let's call it Conceptual art.
Conceptual artists claim that IDEAS and CONCEPTS are the main feature of their art.
They can slap anything together and call it ''conceptual art'' confident that viewers will find SOMETHING to think about it no matter how banal or trivial the artist's concept!
There is no way conceptual art pieces can be judged.
The promoters of this art have attacked the motives and credibility of authorities and critics who might disparage the work.
They have rejected museums and galleries as defining authorities.
They reject the idea that art can be judged or criticized .
All of this results in a decline in standards.
And when you jettison standards, quality suffers.
There really IS such a thing as BAD art !
We know this only because we have standards and criteria by which such things can be evaluated.
It seems that conceptual art comes down to a basic idea:
No one has the right or authority to make any judgements about art !
Art is anything you can get away with !
A whole new language has been created to give the work an air of legitimacy and gravitas.
Conceptual art is 'sold' to the unwary public with ....."ArtSpeak".
ArtSpeak is a unique assemblage of English words and phrases that the International Art world uses but which are devoid of meaning!
Have you ever found yourself confronted by an art gallery’s description of an exhibition which seems completely indecipherable?
Or an artist’s statement about their work which left you more confused than enlightened?
You’re not alone.
Here are examples of ArtSpeak:
'Works that probe the dialectic between innovations that seem to have been forgotten, the ruinous present state of projects once created amid great euphoria, and the present as an era of transitions and new beginnings.''
Or
''The exhibition reactivates his career-long investigation into the social mutations of desire and repression. But his earlier concerns with repression production--in the adolescent or in the family as a whole--give way to the vertiginous retrieval and wayward reinvention of mythical community and sub-cultural traditions.''
This language is meant to convince me that there is real substance to this drivel which is being passed off as art.
I don't buy it.
But plenty of other people DO buy it.
Not because they love the work.
They are laying out enormous sums in the belief that their investment will bring them high returns in the future.
One Jeff Koons conceptual piece is three basketballs suspended in a fish tank.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three_Ball_Total_Equilibrium_Tank_by_Jeff_Koons,_Tate_Liverpool.jpg
Here is Koons' own ArtSpeak explanation of his floating basketball 'concept' verbatim:
“ This is an ultimate state of being.
I wanted to play with people’s desires.
They desire this equilibrium.
They desire pre-birth.
I was giving a definition of life and death.
This is the eternal.
This is what life is like, also, after death.
Aspects of the eternal”
Rather lofty goals for 3 basketballs suspended in a fish tank!!
It sold for $350,000.
I wonder what it would have fetched without Koons' name attached to it.
Or take the case of Martin Creed's ball of crumpled white copy paper.
www.abebooks.com/signed/Work-sheet-paper-crumpled-ball-Creed/7404135374/bd
He made almost 700 of them!
Some sold for hundreds of dollars.
Martin Creed, when asked during an interview how he would respond to those who say the crumpled paper ball isn’t art said :
“ I wouldn’t call this art either. Who says, anyway, what’s good and what’s bad?”
Interviewer:
''When confronted with conceptual art, we shouldn’t worry whether it’s art or not because no one really knows what art is.''6
Is this what art has come to??
_________________________________
Something radical has happened to the art scene in the past 60 years.
Cubism slid into non-representational art....what is often called Abstract.
Abstract or non-representational art is a legitimate and often profound genre.
But to many people, it appeared as if this new style had no structure, principles or standards of evaluation.
It’s markings seemed random and arbitrary.
Something that anyone could do.
Any composition of blotches or scribbles was “Abstract Art”.
This was the slippery slope that led to the abandonment of standards in art.
Art is what I say it is....and lots of people jumped on the art bandwagon.
Anyone can be an artist.
Anyone can mount a show.
And who is to say if it has value or not ?
A tacit agreement has formed among critics, galleries, publications and auction houses to promote and celebrate certain artists and styles.
Objects with no artistic merit are touted and praised .
Their value increases with every magazine article, every exhibition in a prestigious gallery.
And when they come up for auction, sometimes the auction houses will lend vast sums to a bidder so that it appears as if the work of the particular artist is increasing in value.
The upward spiral begins and fortunes are made.
And many are reluctant to declare that the Emperor is, in fact, naked lest they appear boorish unsophisticated Philistines !
This is what dominates the art market today.
The love of money is the root of all evil.
It has corrupted politics.
It has corrupted sport.
It has corrupted healthcare.
It has corrupted religion.
And now it has corrupted art.
But, there is reason to hope.
As much of the wisdom of the Greeks and Romans was kept alive through the Middle Ages in small pockets of learning and culture, ateliers have sprung up around the world that are devoted to preserving and handing down the traditional visual arts: drawing, painting and sculpting to each new generation.
And when this craze for conceptual art has burned itself out and when visual art is no longer looked on as mere decoration and when schools that have dissolved their art programs want to reestablish them again, the world will find these skills preserved through the atelier movement.
as a painter seeing this kind of production of paintings is the saddest i have seen for a long time. for sure some talented artists are wasting their time in that studio, working as living plotters, maybe even proud to be part of of the koons team.
A complete waste of time and effort for the results of such indifferent ideas for what? Some art world cod philosophy?
This form of working is not for me..definitely not a fan of most of Koons laboured output... but I saw the giant flower puppy in Spain .... it was really impressive...
Like Gates and Musk. They only come up with ideas, but have the money to hire the people who can make them work.
why are you wearing headphones?
Koons is not an artist, he is a very expensive "decorator"
Andy was well known for writing collum in magazines and slash everyone down, and he used that to make money with Art. He was a despicable character and a couple of artists committed suicide because him. He hasn't broken any boundaries and he didn't do anything new. Do your homework and you find it was only marketing nothing else.
Its a business
Tip: try manage not wearing headphones on camera.
well I feel a little better knowing he designs his own stuff but the only thing he should put his name on is the original photo collage . The rest of his stuff are just forgeries.
absolute shit elevated by a bullshit story
I don't mind that he does it, just that "experts" put such value on things while they consider true beauty valueless because the kid making it is unknown.
Anyone can be called an artist these days, even when you don't create art yourself. Art has lost it's meaning and true value. But that's just my opinion.
TIL Jasper Johns is still alive
Jeff Koons is not an artist.
he is , he is a photo collage artist.
His employees are illustrators at best.
@ Just because you decide to put 'artist' behind a silly word doesn't mean it makes him an artist. Shame his 'employees' have to take a back seat to a talentless, unskilled, egomaniac, while they do all the work and he sits around getting drunk off of undeserved attention.
Photo collage is also not an art form if that wasn't made clear.
Let's see. He comes up with an idea, and his assistants (the ones with the real talent) do all of the work. Then someone pays tens of millions of dollars to pat themselves on the back to tell their friends, "Look what I've got!" A perfect example of "The Emperor's New Clothes." Or another way of putting it people with more money than brains. I think I'll get some duct tape and bananas and see what I can create.
Jeff Koons reminds me of Pee Wee Herman.
And his aestetic sucks. But the video was interesting.
(disclaimer: im just here to shit on koons so if youre not here for that skip this comment)
koons art is about as interesting as stepping in dogshit on a rainy day.....art studios have been around forever. Rubens had one, Titian had one, Michelangelo had one, to name a few. the difference is, in the past, assistants did the drudgework (mixed paint, mixed plaster etc, and the "names" did the fine work. when he's dead (which can't happen soon enough for my liking) who is going to remember "New Hoover Convertibles, Green, Blue"? nobody, because it's junk, like everything else he "makes".
it call " Photoshop Art "
A perfect mirror of our "post-modern" times - shallow, gaudy and meaningless. "kitschy elements in 'Art with the big K' and bigger bucks. modern chicanery at its best. Compare, with let's say Moore, Noguchi, George Minne, Rodin. Let's go to Du Champ who abandoned the whole art scene to do chess in 1918. But we artists keep going.