America has invaded the gilded chambers and sculptured gardens of the Château de Versailles in the form of a much-debated exhibition by the American superstar artist Jeff Koons. NYT | Slideshow
Versailles in recent years has displayed only a few select works of contemporary artists. The exhibition of 17 Koons sculptures marks the first time that the chateau built by Louis XIV has organized so ambitious a retrospective of one contemporary artist. The exhibit, which opened on Wednesday, will continue until Dec. 14.
Mr. Koons expressed delight that the first retrospective ever of his work in France is at Versailles. After all, nearly five million people visit the chateau and between eight and 10 million stroll the gardens every year, according to official Versailles figures.
"Balloon Dog" (1999-2000)
Not everyone here was as pleased by the installation. Several dozen people demonstrated outside the palace gates early Wednesday, a protest organized by the National Union of Writers of France, a little-known, right-wing group dedicated to artistic purity in France. The group’s chairman demanded that the exhibit be canceled.
"Pink Panther" (1988)
An open-mouthed, bare-breasted blonde holding a pink panther seems to be laughing at a 1729 painting of King Louis XV conferring peace upon Europe.
"Louis XIV" (1986)
In his opening remarks at the news conference, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, the chairman of Versailles and a former French culture minister, defended Versailles against its critics. He called Mr. Koons a “cultivated” artist who treated the artistic history of Versailles with respect, and described the exhibition as “a great cultural event.”
No Comments
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.