At Palazzo Bertamini Lucca the exhibition “Ballions & Wonders” by Jeff Koons: from Balloon Animals to the Gazing Ball and Antiquity series, until April 6th
Jeff Koons’ exhibition, the most enigmatic and listed artist in the world, opened its doors in Fiorenzuola d’Arda.
In the exhibition, which can be visited until April 6, the most iconic works of the “Balloon Animals” collection are exhibited: the famous sculptures with mirror surfaces and bright colors, which reproduce animal -shaped balloons. But not only. In the exhibition itinerary it is also possible to focus on the series “Gazing Ball” and “Antiquity”. The works are the testimony of the fact that Koons intends to put “the viewer in the center”, as explained by the curator of the exhibition, Luca Bravo, in the preview presentation of the exhibition. For the American artist, in fact “the art is the spectator” who reflects in the work with a game of mirrors. It is an invitation to go beyond the apparent “simplicity” of his art, which conceals, however, “profound meanings” recalled Bravo.
Location
To contribute to the uniqueness of the exhibition is the seat that hosts it: the Bertamini Lucca Palace, with its frescoes of the first half of the 1700s, gives life to a compelling contrast with the new provocative art of Koons. Fiorenzuola d’Arda thus becomes the center of an international caliber event in the wake of the success of the exhibition “From Warhol to Banksy” hosted in the city in 2022 The exhibition, continued “is an extraordinary event not only from a cultural point of view, but also for our economic fabric”.
Antiquity
The exhibition opens with the Antiquity collection where it is possible to admire the works in which Koons contaminates classical art with pop elements of contemporary society. In the dialogue between classic and modernity, the artist in fact mixes paintings of Greek and Roman art with drawings in metal foil that recall sensuality and double senses. The aim, as observed by Bravo, is also to “question the cultural authority of the classical image and revisit it with today’s eyes”.
Gazing Ball
In the following rooms the Gazing Ball collection is exhibited: these are reproductions of timeless works of art, from Manet to Gauguin, from Giotto to Rubens, to whom the artist superimposes the reflective blue circles. So, while admiring the work, the viewer also sees himself and mirroring himself becomes the protagonist of the picture. It is once again a call and also a criticism of the current society, in which individualism and vanity have assumed a predominant role.
Balloon Animals
The last room is dedicated to the “Balloon Animals” collection: animal sculptures with bright colors in enameled porcelain that resume the shape of the balloons. These are the best known works of Koons: just think that in 2019 “Rabbit” was auctioned at the record figure of 91.1 million dollars. In these works Koons resumes the classic balloons that are momentary and makes them “eternal relic” has highlighted good light. In the exhibition you can admire the Balloon Dog, the Balloon Rabbit, the Balloon Swan and the Balloon Monkey. In these sculptures, the curator of the exhibition “The spectator is reflected, recognizes himself and perhaps pleases himself” has always underlined and it is nothing more than “a cross -section of contemporary society”.
