Jeff Koons [Hardcover]

Ingrid Sischy (Author), Eckhard Schneider (Author), Katy Siegel (Author), Hans Werner Holzwarth (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3822849448 | ISBN-13: 978-3822849446 | Publication Date: April 2, 2008 | Edition: Sgd Blg

The Post-Pop superstar: An in-depth study of Koons's entire oeuvre to date Limited to 1,500 numbered copies, each signed by Jeff Koons From kinky to kitsch to conceptual, Jeff Koons's art is anything but conformist. Since he stirred up the art world establishment in the 1980s with his unapologetic basketball sculptures and stainless steel toy blow-ups, Koons has been known as somewhat of a bad boy?a reputation he confirmed in the early 90s via works depicting him having sex with then-wife Cicciolina, the Italian porn star-cum-politician. Following this torrid phase, he changed gears to produce the gargantuan Puppy, the 43-foot tall floral terrier that now resides at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Koons's exploitation of the banal, in the aggrandizement and/or embodiment of kitsch and pop imagery, has become his trademark; detractors may delight in their naysaying, but Koons's work commands millions at auction and his position at the forefront of contemporary art is indisputable. This exhaustive monograph begins with a biographical essay by Interview magazine editor-in-chief Ingrid Sischy that puts his work into context and tells his personal story, as well as a text by Eckhard Schneider's analyzing Koons from a European perspective. Arranged in chronological chapters by work groups, the main body of the book features art historian and critic Katy Siegel's detailed analyses alongside hundreds of large-format images tracing Koons's career from 1979 to today. Rounding off the book are an extended bibliography and a lavishly illustrated biography. Fans of Jeff Koons's work will find in this publication not only a sumptuous book-object, but also the most comprehensive study of theartist's work ever published.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This exhaustive monograph begins with a biographical essay by Interview magazine editor-in-chief Ingrid Sischy that puts his work into context and tells his personal story, as well as a text by Eckhard Schneider's analyzing Koons from a European perspective. Arranged in chronological chapters by work groups, the main body of the book features art historian and critic Katy Siegel's detailed analyses alongside hundreds of large-format images tracing Koons's career from 1979 to today. Rounding off the book are an extended bibliography and a lavishly illustrated biography. Fans of Jeff Koons's work will find in this publication not only a sumptuous book-object, but also the most comprehensive study of the artist's work ever published.

From the Author

Book designer and editor Hans Werner Holzwarth studied photography and communication design, then co-led his own company for corporate design. He worked as a freelance art director for Scalo before founding his own imprint in 2000 Holzwarth Publications, which was created with the goal of publishing artists' books to further enhance the expression of their work. Holzwarth has collaborated with artists such as Richard Billingham, Larry Clark, Robert Frank, Nan Goldin, Rebecca Horn, Roni Horn, Karl Lagerfeld, Boris Mikhailov, Issey Miyake, Albert Oehlen, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, Kiki Smith, Jock Sturges, Juergen Teller, Jeff Wall, John Waters, and Christopher Wool. For TASCHEN he also designed the books Taschen Collection and Martin Kippenberger.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 606 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; Sgd Blg edition (April 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822849448
• ISBN-13: 978-3822849446
• Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 6.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 25.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,943,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars overrated and not at all worth the price, July 2, 2009

By 

Filmliebhaber "A. S." (Muenchen) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jeff Koons (Hardcover)

Taschen books - especially limited books - are usually worth every penny. But Koons is different. Made for speculation reasons only, this book is not bought for the content. Because there is nothing new about Koons in this book, that we don't know already. It would have been good enough to create a XL-book like Michelangelo, Leonardo or Rivera for round about 120 dollars. I was simply bored by this book and sold it very quickly - for twice the price that I paid for it. At least therefore it was a good deal.