“Made In Heaven” 20th Anniversary by Jeff Koons

Posted by The G on October 4, 2010 under Artsy Fartsy | 4 Comments to Read

Photos of Jeff Koons’ work by G.

20 years ago, Jeff Koons exhibited a series of photos called “Made In Heaven” in both Venice, Italy as well as New York.  The photos caused a major stir in the art world as the series depicted Koons’ union with his wife, porn star and politician Ilona Staller, in very sexually explicit imagery.  Luxembourg & Dayan in New York is celebrating the 20th anniversary of “Made In Heaven” with a restaging of the original exhibit.  For those new to the art world and that live in New York, you are probably most familiar with Jeff Koons’ works such as the metallic balloon dog that was housed on the roof of the Met Museum several years ago. “Made In Heaven” depicts a side of Jeff Koons rarely seen (pun definitely intended).  Though Koons has admitted publicly there are no hidden messages in his work and all imagery should be taken at face value, seeing the “Made In Heaven” exhibit will give your brain plenty of food for thought.  I attended a special sneak preview of this exhibit and the discussions I had with the guests at Luxembourg & Dayan were absolutely fascinating. One of the topics that I’ll be thinking about for a while is how has our society progressed/regressed when it comes to images of a sexual nature.  Loyal readers might recall a few weeks ago, I performed a work by Yoko Ono dressed in a crocheted outfit by the artist Olek merely trying to shake people’s hands at an art fair.  There was nothing sexual at all about the performance and yet it was very challenging for people to open their hearts and minds.  When thinking of that day and seeing “Made In Heaven,” I have so much to chew on, my head hurts! Are we doomed as a society?

After the jump, see some images from “Made In Heaven” by Jeff Koons.  If you are closed minded, please don’t read any further.

Before I give you some private time to absorb what you’ve just seen, seeing these works with your own eyes is a must!  ”Made In Heaven” runs from October 6, 2010 – January 21, 2011 at Luxembourg & Dayan, which is located at 64 East 77th Street. The gallery is open from 11 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday.  Tell them G sent you!

Thanks again to all the wonderful people I met at the exhibit!