The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) in Canberra has received a balloon sculpture that could be the most expensive piece ever gifted to the national collection.Â
The sculpture by American artist Jeff Koons — Balloon Venus Dolni Vestonice (Yellow), 2013–17 — is a nearly three-metre-tall polished stainless steel statue.
It is inspired by a small artefact made of mammoth ivory from about 45,000 years ago that depicts fertility and the human body.
What’s it worth?
NGA director Nick Mitzevich did not want to put a price on the piece when asked if it could be worth about $20 million.
NGA director Nick Mitzevich says the piece is a significant acquisition for the gallery. (ABC News: James Tugwell)
“The value is really set by the market, and as a gift, we don’t really comment on the price,” he said.
“But Jeff Koons’s artworks sell up to that price and beyond … He is the highest selling living artist in the world today.
“He makes these extraordinary objects that seduce us in, that pull us in, and it asks us to look a bit closer.”
He said he believed its true value was in its meaning.
“The work, for me, references art history. It references a fertility object from about 45,000 years ago, and I love that he is always thinking about art history,” Dr Mitzevich said.
“And he gives it a 21st-century approach by turning a fertility object, a Venus, into a balloon sculpture. So, he collides history and the present.
“He is a magician with materials … What he does is take everyday objects and make them special and make us think about the world and the things around us.”
The gallery’s acquisition is part of a five-piece balloon sculpture series known as Antiquity. The pieces differ in colour, but each took years to bring to life, with the others on show all over the world.
‘The art leaves with them’
Jeff Koons with his metallic sculpture. (Supplied: The National Gallery of Australia)
In a statement, Jeff Koons said he was “happy” Balloon Venus had been gifted to the national collection so it could be digested by the public.
“Art is within the viewer; it’s about your essence and your own potential. Anybody coming to the national gallery, looking at Balloon Venus, is going to see this work is about them,” Koons said.
“I always enjoyed working with a metallic surface because it reflects us and affirms us.
“Whatever [the viewer is] thinking about, if they’re feeling a sense of connection to memory and history, this is the art they’re experiencing — and when they leave the room, the art leaves with them.”
Koons said Balloon Venus was intentionally shiny and reflective to involve the viewer in the artwork. (ABC News: James Tugwell)
The sculpture was gifted by collectors Steve and Kylie Shelley, who said in a statement:
“Koons’ work sparks conversation and curiosity and we believe it belongs in a public collection.”
Another major gift to the gallery came earlier this year, with philanthropist Geoff Ainsworth donating Edvard Munch’s Man with Horse to the national collection.Â
Edvard Munch’s Man with Horse was donated to the NGA in April. (ABC News: James Tugwell)
“In the last six months, we’ve made two extraordinary acquisitions of artists that have really been influential over the last 150 years,” Dr Mitzevich said.Â
He invited people to have their own views on the works.Â
“We put the most extraordinary works in front of the public and ask them to think about it and have a dialogue with us.”
Jeff Koons’s Balloon Venus Dolni Vestonice (Yellow), 2013–17, is now on display at the NGA. (ABC News: James Tugwell)