catalog note
Limited Edition of 999.
Jeff Koons transforms a simple twisted balloon swan into reflective yellow porcelain for his limited edition Balloon Swan (Yellow). The original Balloon Swan, 2004–2011, is a monumental sculpture, standing over 3 meters high, in mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating in five unique versions: magenta, red, violet, blue, and yellow.
The figure of the swan has significant personal resonance for the artist; it was one of the first sculptures Koons made at 9 years old in ceramic, for which the young artist diligently worked to get the angle of the neck correct. He worked for over a year and a half for Balloon Swan, shaping its graceful neck.
The swan was elevated to its final monumental form through research, modeling, milling, polishing, and lacquering. His perseverance resulted in a work that alludes to the playfulness of childhood, while its simplified, reflective surface also communicates desire and acceptance.
Koons had an epiphany when he first saw the swan’s two-dimensional form on the computer: “Balloon Swan harmonizes sexual energy. If you look at it from the front, it’s totem-like and male. If you go to the side, it becomes female. Balloon Swan is reminiscent of classical works, it defines beauty as sexual harmony.”
Made in Limoges, France.
Copyright Jeff Koons.
catalog note
Limited Edition of 999.
Jeff Koons transforms a simple twisted balloon swan into reflective yellow porcelain for his limited edition Balloon Swan (Yellow). The original Balloon Swan, 2004–2011, is a monumental sculpture, standing over 3 meters high, in mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating in five unique versions: magenta, red, violet, blue, and yellow.
The figure of the swan has significant personal resonance for the artist; it was one of the first sculptures Koons made at 9 years old in ceramic, for which the young artist diligently worked to get the angle of the neck correct. He worked for over a year and a half for Balloon Swan, shaping its graceful neck.
The swan was elevated to its final monumental form through research, modeling, milling, polishing, and lacquering. His perseverance resulted in a work that alludes to the playfulness of childhood, while its simplified, reflective surface also communicates desire and acceptance.
Koons had an epiphany when he first saw the swan’s two-dimensional form on the computer: “Balloon Swan harmonizes sexual energy. If you look at it from the front, it’s totem-like and male. If you go to the side, it becomes female. Balloon Swan is reminiscent of classical works, it defines beauty as sexual harmony.”
Made in Limoges, France.
Copyright Jeff Koons.
Curatorial Note
— Ana Zampino
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