Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All

The Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting a Jeff Koons exhibition until September 21. On one of their free Tuesdays, I went to take a look at the collection.

Jeff Koons is a pretty big name in modern art. I expected to revel in his work. Instead, I found most of them empty and cold. “Hanging Heart,” which greets visitors at the entrances of the two large galleries, was one of the few I liked. In general, I enjoyed his inflatable series, in which metal is made to look like balloons, the most. The ones containing the lobster floatation devices though, they would have been more interesting to me if actual plastic pool floaties were used rather than the highly technical constructions.

That was part of the disconnect I felt with his work. They display amazing technical prowess, but I wondered “to what end?” Some of it was the pop sensibility of “look what can be art” but then he uses such precise artistic technique to create that “kitsch.” For me though, the idea of the work wasn’t strong enough to warrant such effort.

Also, he did not physically create all of the work. Scores of artists employ assistants, but there’s something old fashioned in me that wants the artist to be more involved than just being the idea guy. If all this technique is the result of his aides, then even that contradiction in presentation is not all that interesting.

It’s said that Koons is a love-him or hate-him kind of artist. Although I wouldn’t say that I hate his work, I’m going to be on the negative side for now. I don’t think he’s as clever or his ideas are as big as he himself seems to think. Am I missing the boat, bronzed or otherwise?

Tags: Art, Chicago //