Jeff Koons Ushering in Banality

Dasha's Dance: POP #23 Party

Dasha Zhukova kicked off NYFW at Don Hill's with a party to celebrate POP #23 featuring dual covers of Britney Spears art directed by Takashi Muralami and an exclusive Cindy Sherman Book Zine in the Chanel archives. Guests from Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale to Jeff Koons and Ryan MGinley rocked late into the night with a special performance by Iggy Pop!

Koons' Elephant

It seems that Koons' Elephant (2004) has found a home in Eugenio Lopez's garden in LA! It looks almost as if the elephant was made for the space.

Earth Day: Kiehl's Gives Back

Last night in New York Kiehl's celebrated Earth Day with the launch of limited edition packaging for their 100% organic Açai Damage-Protecting Toning Mist. Chris Salgardo, President of Kiehl's USA, was joined by friends including Parker Posey and Brian Donnelly to commemorate designs by Jeff Koons, Julianne Moore, Pharrell Williams and Malia Jones. Proceeds from the celebrity campaign, photographed by David LaChapelle, will go towards the Rainforest Alliance, a non-profit that protects rainforests by teaching businesses and individuals about sustainable practice.

Jeff Koons for BMW Art Car Revealed

The new Jeff Koons design for BMW Art Car has been revealed! Koons will sign his car in Paris at the Centre Georges Pompidou on June 1 and then the car will race at Le Mans on June 12 through 13.

Jeff Koons for BMW Art Car

Now in its 35th year BMW's Art Car program has announced iconic American artist Jeff Koons as the creator of the 17th car in their lineup. BMW North America President Jim O’Donnell celebrates the announcement with Koons, who is ecstatic. “I always thought it would be an honor to work on a BMW Art Car. I look forward to participate in a tradition set forth by such great artists as Calder, Lichtenstein, Stella, and Warhol.” Can't wait to see what he comes up with!

Koons for Kids

Jeff Koons' next installation will not be in a museum or gallery but rather in a Hospital! RxArt, a New York nonprofit group headed by Diane Brown, will install several pieces by Jeff Koons in the pediatric CAT Scan room of Advocate Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, as part of an initiative to bring contemporary art into health care facilities. Koons has created a work of four of his signature smiling monkeys directly on the CAT Scan machine itself and every other wall in the room will be filled with Koons' iconic images. Brown explains, "Rather than a scary experience in a cold white space, we hope children undergoing this test will feel like they are entering into a fantastic visual adventure."

Contemporary Connecticut

Amidst the fall foliage and colonial housing, contemporary art is thriving in a stone barn in Greenwich, CT. Opened back in May, the Brant Foundation Art Study Center displays works from the collection of founder Peter Brant. Through February 2010, a group show comprised of 25 artists including Koons, Clemente, Basquiat, Currin, Haring, Hirst, Schnabel, and Warhol can be seen, and a solo show of Urs Fischer is scheduled for Spring 2010.

Pop Life x Tate

Now on display at the Tate Modern "Pop Life: Art in a Material World" riffs on Andy Warhol's saying "Good business is the best art" considering his legacy the inspiration for subsequent pop artists who have engaged with mass media since the 1980's to cultivate a signature “brand”. Exploiting channels that engage audiences both in and outside of the gallery these artists prove that culture and commerce is not a betrayal of the values associated with art, but rather an affirmation and an inherent association. Beginning with Warhol’s late works, the show includes highlights from eighties and nineties pop art, such as reconstructions of performative, ephemeral, and installation works: Keith Haring’s former Pop Shop in New York's SoHo, Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas’s shop in Bethnal Green, and a re-staging of Damien Hirst’s '92 performance at Cologne’s ‘Unfair’ in which identical twins sit beneath identical spot paintings.

Gagosian and Other Criteria Open

Damien Hirst's publishing company Other Criteria launches its first and only US location inside Gagosian's new store opening this week at 988 Madison Avenue. "Gagosian" is the first retail outpost for the mega-gallery's artist roster.

Other Criteria is located on the store's lower level and will sell books, t-shirts, limited editions, jewelry, photographs, posters, and prints by such artist superstars as Ghada Amer, Johannes Albers, Banksy, Kehinde Wiley, and Matt Collishaw.

INSIDER PREVIEW: Veilhan in Versailles

Situated from the Place d'Armes to Le Notres formal gardens, artist Xavier Veilhan is preparing for the presentation of his work at the Chateau de Versailles starting September 13th. Known for his grand scale, and his investigation of the 'possibility of representation' the French artist is once again sure to create an exciting statement. Not only will the new works complement the history of the grand palace, but the installation will force audiences to rethink the traditional east/west planning of the estate. This follow-up exhibition to Jeff Koons in 2008 is one not to be missed!

Jeff Koons & Glenn O'Brien at Strand Books

In "celebration" of two of the latest publications to hit bookstores Jeff Koons made an appearance last night at Strand to discuss his work with Glenn O'Brien. The books, titled Celebration and Versailles, document the artist's 2008 exhibitions at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie and the Palace of Versailles respectively. The event was presented by Strand in collaboration with Hatje Cantz and D.A.P. and followed by an Interview Magazine dinner at Indochine in the artist's honor. Rumor has it due to last night's impressive attendance Koons will be returning today to sign additional copies.

Jeff Koons Razzle Dazzles

Razzle Dazzle, also known as Dazzle camouflage, refers to the abstract geometric painting technique used extensively to decorate naval ships during World War I. After failed attempts to develop an effective all weather camouflage the varied patterns made it difficult for enemies to gauge the size and speed at which the ships traveled. The same Razzle Dazzle served as the inspiration for Jeff Koons' Guilty yacht. While the only enemies Dakis Joannou, who commissioned the boat, has to watch out for are jealous onlookers we're certain he feels right at home on his floating work of art.