Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog

– A Look at the Iconic

“Balloon Dog” Sculpture

H ave you ever seen a dog so big that it almost reaches the ceiling? One that looks like

one of those helium balloons in the shape of a dog – that seem to always end up bumping
and floating along the ceiling? Only, the balloon dogs we will explore in this article are
from Contemporary artist Jeff Koons’ stainless-steel sculptures, and they do not float. Let
us have a closer look.
Artist Abstract: Who Is Jeff Koons?
Jeffrey Lynn Koons is an American artist who was born on 21 January 1955, in York,
Pennsylvania, where he also lives and works, including New York City. He painted from
an early age having been inspired by Salvador Dalí. Koons studied at the Maryland
Institute College of Art in Baltimore and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is
a Contemporary artist well-known for his large-scale sculptures that are Pop-Cultural
icons depicting items of mass media, such as toys, birthday gifts, ornaments, and
various other paraphernalia we would find in stores.

The Balloon Dogs by Jeff Koons in Context

The Balloon Dogs (1994 to 2000) by Jeff Koons come in five colors, namely, blue,
magenta, orange, red, and yellow. They are what you will find for an eight-year-old’s
birthday present, however, this is exactly what they are all about. The Balloon
Dogs touch on the idea of celebration. They are worth millions of dollars, in fact, Balloon
Dog (Orange) (1994 to 2000) was sold for $58.4 million.

Koons has not only made balloon dogs, but a whole menagerie of other
animals like monkeys, rabbits, and swans, among other accessories like
hearts, flowers, and jewelry.

Contextual Analysis: A Brief Socio-Historical Overview

The Balloon Dogs (1994 to 2000) by Jeff Koons is part of the artist’s series
called Celebrations, which he started in 1993. It consists of a variety of sculptures and
paintings focusing on the idea of celebration, and items we would utilize for celebrations
like holidays or parties, especially birthday parties. Against the backdrop of Koons’
artistic career, the playful yet quite daunting large balloon dogs are continuations of his
style.
 Artist Jeffrey Lynn Koons

Date of Production 1994 to 2022

Medium Mirror-finished stainless steel with a translucent coating of color paint

Genre Pop Art, Neo-Pop Art, Conceptual Art

Period Contemporary Art

Dimensions 307.3 x 363.2 x114.3 centimeters (Balloon Dog – Blue)

Five versions (Blue, Magenta, Orange, Red, Yellow) as part of the

Series / Versions “Celebration” Series (1994 to 2011)

Where Is It housed? Exhibited worldwide

What It Is Worth Over $50 million

Jeff Koons at the Vanity Fair kickoff part for the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival; David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, via
Wikimedia Commons
Celebration Series (1994 – 2000)
During the early 1990s, Koons started what we have come to know as his signature
sculptural pieces, or among the most prominent of his sculptural pieces,
the Celebration series. These were also inspired by children’s toys and blow-up balloon
animals, especially with his son Ludwig still very young at that time.

As previously mentioned, the series included pieces like flowers, hearts, Easter eggs,
and an assortment of balloon animals. There is a playfulness to the sculptures and an
inherent play on other ideas like life and death and the loss of innocence from childhood
that almost turns into this desire for material things and status.

Koons created 20 different sculptures and 16 oil paintings in his “Celebration

Series” and is reportedly still in the production process of some of the
sculptural pieces.
Of these, there are different versions in a variety of colors, including the award-
winning Cracked Egg (1994 to 2006), Diamond (1994 to 2005), Tulips (1995 to
2004), Balloon Flowers (1995 to 2000), Hanging Heart (1995 to 1998), and the well-
known Balloon Dogs (1994 to 2000) among many others.
Mirrored bubble sculpture (detail) by Jeff Koons at the Potsdamer Platz, Berlin (Marline-Dietrich
Platz)/Germany; Jeff Koons, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Scale and Material

Each Jeff Koons Balloon Dog measures around 307.3 x 363.2 x 114.3 centimeters
(around 10 feet) and it weighs around a ton – as we previously mentioned, it is a life-
size dog. All five dogs are made, or shall we say engineered, from mirror-polished
stainless steel, which is then given a translucent coat of colored paint, namely, Blue,
Magenta, Yellow, Red, and Orange. The mirror-polished surface on the stainless steel,
including the paint, gives the Balloon Dog that balloon-like reflective surface.

It also adds to the richness of the entire structure, almost drawing us in to

engage with it just like a real toy would appeal to our senses and desire to
play.
Critique: Is It Art?
Jeff Koons’ artwork has received considerable critique throughout the art communities
and public; there are lovers and haters. One of the important questions that have
bounced around most of Jeff Koons’ art is, “Is it art?”. The artist himself has been widely
successful and received significant remuneration for several of his sculptures. He has
also become quite popular among the masses.

For example, in 2013, Balloon Dog (Orange) was sold for $58.4 million at Christie’s Post-
War and Contemporary Art Evening auction sale. It reportedly reached the record of the
highest paid price for an artist that is still living. Koons’ Tulips were sold for $33.7 million
at this same auction.

Jeff Koons’ art has often been likened to being kitsch within the Postmodern
art scene.
The word kitsch is of German origin used to describe objects that were of cheaper, more
mass-produced, and “low brow” quality compared to the quality we would find from “high
art”. It is often objected that they are popular only to the masses and not a more refined
group of admirers. The idea of kitsch also has irony in its conveyance, and maybe that
is what we find in Jeff Koons’ and so many other Pop Art and Contemporary artists of
the times.
In fact, we see this type of play on “high” and “low” art when Balloon Dog (Magenta) was
put on display in 2008 in the Château de Versailles in France, a stark contrast to the
elaborate Baroque architecture and traditional modes of art from the past. Although
the Baroque period was itself quite rich in ornament and gilded grandeur, maybe
something the Baroque past and Balloon Dog present have in common?

It also points us to the inherent symbolism in Koons’ work if any at all. While we know
the large Balloon Dog represents something that takes us back to a time of childhood
and celebration, it may even symbolize a sense of innocence, however, with the way it
has been constructed, and to the size, it could also symbolize the critique of mass
culture and commoditization.
For Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog, the artist is widely quoted in his explanation of why he
possibly constructed these, saying:

“I’ve always enjoyed balloon animals because they’re like us. We’re balloons.
You take a breath and you inhale, it’s an optimism. You exhale, and it’s kind
of a symbol of death”.

A Pop Icon
Since the Celebration Series Koons have continued making his Pop-Cultural sculptures,
for example, his Play-Doh (1994 to 2004), Hulk (Organ) (2004 to 2014), and the more
recent Seated Ballerina (2017) as part of his Antiquity Series, among many others. The
artist has worked with and inspired many other pop icons like singers Lady Gaga and
Jay Z and other visual artists like the British Damien Hirst, from the Young British Artists
group.

He has become like the embodiment of celebration among the celebrities but has done
well for himself having been given achievements, for example, in 2008 the School of the
Art Institute in Chicago awarded him with an honorary doctorate.

He has also received numerous awards, namely, the BZ Cultural Award (2000) and
Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture (2001) in Berlin, the Wollaston Award (2008) from the
Royal Academy of Arts, London, the U.S. State Department’s Medal of Arts (2013), the
Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (2014), and during 2017
he was awarded for Outstanding Contribution to Visual Culture as part of the annual
Honorary Membership Award through the Edgar Wind Society.

Jeff Koons is almost like a Willy Wonka of the art world – someone who
creates rich and colorful objects for the public to delight in, although in this
case, it is not chocolate but instead a factory of shiny sculptures that all
appear as if they have come out of a fantasy book and doubled or tripled in
size. Indeed, Jeff Koons’ art reminds us of our childhood – imagining a
grandiosity that falls outside of what is real.
Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Balloon Dogs?

The Balloon Dogs (1994 to 2000) by Jeff Koons are five dogs that appear like blown-up
balloon animals. They are a part of the artist’s series called Celebrations, which he
started in 1993. It consists of a variety of sculptures and paintings focusing on the idea
of celebration and items we would buy or see like inflatables, hearts, Easter eggs,
flowers, as well as the type of toys children would be fond of playing with.

How Many Balloon Dogs Did Jeff Koons Make?

There are five versions of Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs (1994 to 2000). The versions all
appear identical in shape and size, but they are in five different colors, namely, blue,
magenta, orange, red, and yellow.

What Are Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs Made Of?

Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs are made from mirror-polished stainless steel and painted over
with a coating of translucent paint in the respective colors we see in all five versions.

What Is the Cost of Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dogs?

Jeff Koons has been one of the highest-paid living artists and his artworks sell for
millions of dollars. In 2013, Balloon Dog (Orange) was sold for $58.4 million at Christie’s
Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening auction sale and his Tulips were sold for $33.7
million at this same auction.