Saturday, April 11, 2015

Jeff Koons and John Waters



Although I have decidedly mixed feelings about artist Jeff Koons, he of the infamous Michael Jackson and Bubbles sculpture, the giant puppy, etc., the idea of having him be interviewed by John Waters is inspired:

John Waters and Jeff Koons on good taste, bad taste and beyond taste

It's a really entertaining encounter, even if I think Koons is being disingenuous at times (par for the course for him), especially about money issues. Waters seems to take a much darker view of Koons's work than Koons does himself.

Although they only talk about it a bit, it's worth digging around to read more about Koons's infamous 1990 "Made in Heaven" series of erotic art featuring him and his now-ex-wife, the porn actress Ilona Staller. As part of that project, Koons wanted to make a hard-core porn feature, but now seems grateful that he didn't. He and Staller wound up in a nasty 20-year custody and child support battle over their son Ludwig. Koons re-married and has had six kids with his new wife over the last dozen or so years, making a total of eight he has fathered in his lifetime. Umm, Jeff, that's a little environmentally irresponsible in this day and age!



Jeff Koons: A Retrospective (Whitney Museum of American Art)

Crackpot: The Obsessions of John Waters

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