Jeff Koons Exhibit To Open In Chelsea

CHELSEA, NY — The contemporary artist Jeff Koons has a new exhibit opening at a Chelsea gallery on Saturday.

An exhibit of seven large-scale paintings by Koons will go on display at the the Gagosian gallery, located at 555 W. 24th St. The exhibit, titled "Easyfun-Ethereal," displays a series of Koon's artworks that he's been creating since 2000.

Koons, an American artist, is most famous for his works like "Balloon Dog" and "Ballerinas," massive installations that look like they're built out of balloons. The "Seated Ballerina," one of the installations in this series, was on display outside the Rockefeller Center last year.

The artwork on display at Gagosian features mural-sized works that combine cut-out photographs with other images.

"My Easyfun-Ethereal paintings are very layered," Koons said in a statement. "My interest has always been to create art that can change with any culture or society viewing it. When I look at the paintings and realize all the historical references, it’s as if, for a moment, all ego is lost to meaning."

Three of the paintings on display at Gagosian are on loan from the Guggenheim Museum. The exhibit will be open in Chelsea through April 21.

Koons recently promised to donate a controversial sculpture called "Bouquet of Tulips" to the city of Paris in the wake of the 2015 terror attack there. Plans for the installation, which features a bouquet of flowers made from from inflatable balloons, has drawn criticism from many Parisians who say the sculpture, and its planned location, are inappropriate to mark the attack.

Image credit: Jeff Koons, "Lips, 2000," copyright Jeff Koons. Courtesy the artist and Gagosian.