Sail Away with Me.....

You may or may not know that you know or have heard of Jeff Koons. (was that a run-on sentence or what?) If the site of this massive puppy-shaped balloon installation at the Met has crossed your path recently...see below...then you've had a taste of Jeff Koons.

This well-known superstar is one of the most intriguing artists of the 20th century. His artwork is labeled as Neo-Pop, a post-modern art movement of the 1980s influences by pop art. Koon rejects any hidden meaning in his artwork. The meaning is only what one perceives at first glance; there is no gap between what the work is in itself and what is perceived. He's been praised and blasted for his work. Some think it's monumental and others think it's cheap and tacky. He's even been an influence on other young comtemp. artists such as our dear friend Damien Hirst, spoken about a couple weeks ago.

Anyhow, he just came out with another hit, and "buoy" it's a big one. A yacht in fact and the owner is guilty as charged... hence the yacht name "Guilty." Greek billionaire Dakis Joannou commissioned Jeff Koons to jazz up his yacht, with the help of architect Ivana Porfiri and draw away from the normal high-class yacht designs to make it more creative. Joannou is an an industrialist who owns one of the world's finest collections of contemporary art.Jeff Koons created a colorful scheme, reflective of his Pop Art influences, yet he claims it is based on a WWI camouflage pattern.

After the yacht's completion, Joannou came across a text painting entitled Guilty by British artist Sarah Morris, which he immediately purchased to decorate the yacht. Pulling into Monaco recently, it was definitely the talk of the Monaco harbor.

Thoughts on this? Is this truly art? Or body detailing at the shop? Andy Warhol puts it best, "Art is what you can get away with." Right on Andy.