Bouquet of Tulips

Coordinates: 48°51′57″N 2°18′57″E / 48.8657°N 2.3159°E / 48.8657; 2.3159
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Bouquet of Tulips
ArtistJeff Koons
Year2019
MediumBronze, aluminum, stainless steel[1]
Dimensions11 m (36 ft)
Weight34-ton (sculpture) and 27-ton base
LocationParis
Coordinates48°51′57″N 2°18′57″E / 48.8657°N 2.3159°E / 48.8657; 2.3159

Bouquet of Tulips is a metal sculpture by American artist Jeff Koons,[2][3] which is located outside the Petit Palais in Paris, France. It is one of Koons's largest sculptures,[4] and his first commemorative work.[5] The sculpture was first announced in 2016 and unveiled in October 2019.[6]

Artwork[edit]

The 11 m (36 ft) tall sculpture of a hand clutching stylized flowers, modeled on the Statue of Liberty and made of polychromed bronze, aluminum, and stainless steel,[7] honors the victims of the November 2015 attacks.[8] The bouquet features 11 flowers and not a dozen, with the missing 12th meant to represent the victims.[9]

In 2019, Koons announced that 80% of the proceeds from selling the copyright of the artwork for commercial products depicting the sculpture will go to the victims' families. The remaining 20% will be dedicated to its maintenance.[10]

History[edit]

Koons announced the gift of a sculpture to the people of Paris in November 2016, after Jane D. Hartley, the United States ambassador to France at the time, had asked him to create a tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks in France in 2015 and 2016.[11] Hartley had approached Koons after discussing the idea at a dinner in Paris in January 2016 with Jerry Speyer, then chairman of the board of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and a collector of the artist's work.[12]

The sculpture was made in Germany.[13] The costs for production and installation — amounting to 3.5 million euros — was raised from private donations by a nonprofit foundation, Fonds Pour Paris, and its counterpart in the United States, the Paris Foundation.[14] Among the donors to the project are Bernard Arnault, Leon and Debra Black, Kenneth C. Griffin, Leonard Lauder, and Ralph Schlosstein.[15] Koons later added $1 million of his own money, after delays led to an increase in production costs.[16]

The city proposed several sites to Koons, and he chose the one on the plaza in front of the Palais de Tokyo for its symbolic value; also, the plaza is not restricted by historic preservation provisions.[17] Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo subsequently announced that the sculpture was to be installed in 2017 on the plaza in front of the Palais de Tokyo.[18] However, the pavement turned out to be not strong enough to support the 34-ton sculpture and its 27-ton base. Also, there was criticism that the site had no connection with the attacks.[19] In January 2018, 23 French artists, politicians and cultural figures – including the artist Christian Boltanski and a former culture minister, Frédéric Mitterrand[20] – asked for the plan to be abandoned, arguing in a letter to the newspaper Libération that the gift "was opportunistic and cynical". A second open letter, published by Le Monde and signed by various other arts professionals, including Palais de Tokyo cofounder Jérôme Sans and artist Loris Gréaud, followed and was intended as a defense of Koons's sculpture.[21][22] The plan to place the sculpture in front of the Palais de Tokyo was dropped by Culture Minister Françoise Nyssen in May 2018.[23]

The government's alternative proposal to install the monument in Parc de la Villette was later rejected by city planners.[24] Other venues that were under consideration included the Place des États-Unis.[25] The venue finally chosen is between Place de la Concorde and the Petit Palais, near the Embassy of the United States.[26][27]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Controversial Jeff Koons Tulip Sculpture Inaugurated in Paris". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Critics of Jeff Koons' floral tribute to Paris victims raise a stink". The Guardian. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  3. ^ Codrea-Rado, Anna (27 January 2018). "Jeff Koons Sculpture in Honor of Paris Terror Victims Draws Outrage". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  4. ^ Rachel Donadio (November 21, 2016), Jeff Koons Is Giving Sculpture to Paris to Remember Terror Victims New York Times.
  5. ^ Anna Codrea-Rado (January 22, 2018), Jeff Koons Sculpture in Honor of Paris Terror Victims Draws Outrage New York Times.
  6. ^ "Koons unveils giant 'Bouquet of Tulips' tribute to victims of 2015 Paris attacks". Reuters. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  7. ^ Elian Peltier (October 4, 2019), Jeff Koons Inaugurates His Tulip Sculpture in Paris. Finally. New York Times.
  8. ^ Harris, Gareth (November 22, 2016). "Jeff Koons unveils plans for a memorial to the victims of the Paris terror attacks". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  9. ^ Elian Peltier (October 12, 2018), Jeff Koons's Tulips Find a Home: A Central Garden in the City of Light New York Times.
  10. ^ Matthieu Protard (October 4, 2019), Koons unveils giant 'Bouquet of Tulips' tribute to victims of 2015 Paris attacks Reuters.
  11. ^ Elian Peltier (October 4, 2019), Jeff Koons Inaugurates His Tulip Sculpture in Paris. Finally. New York Times.
  12. ^ Rachel Donadio (November 21, 2016), Jeff Koons Is Giving Sculpture to Paris to Remember Terror Victims New York Times.
  13. ^ Anna Codrea-Rado (January 22, 2018), Jeff Koons Sculpture in Honor of Paris Terror Victims Draws Outrage New York Times.
  14. ^ Rachel Donadio (November 21, 2016), Jeff Koons Is Giving Sculpture to Paris to Remember Terror Victims New York Times.
  15. ^ Naomi Rea (October 4, 2019), Jeff Koons Has Finally Unveiled His Controversial Gift to Paris, and the French Public Is Not Entirely Thrilled Artnet.
  16. ^ Elian Peltier (October 4, 2019), Jeff Koons Inaugurates His Tulip Sculpture in Paris. Finally. New York Times.
  17. ^ Rachel Donadio (June 26, 2017), How Jeff Koons's gift to Paris is riddled with problems The Independent.
  18. ^ Henry Samuel (October 12, 2018), Paris finally finds a home for Jeff Koons' giant tulips after purist claims they would lower the tone The Daily Telegraph.
  19. ^ Monique El-Faizy (August 28, 2019), What's new on the Paris cultural scene for 'la rentrée' New York Times.
  20. ^ Elian Peltier (October 12, 2018), Jeff Koons's Tulips Find a Home: A Central Garden in the City of Light New York Times.
  21. ^ Alex Greenberger (February 23, 2018), French Arts Professionals Sign Op-Ed in Support of Jeff Koons's Paris Memorial to Victims of Terrorist Attacks ARTnews.
  22. ^ Annie Armstrong (October 12, 2018), Paris's Deputy Mayor: Jeff Koons's Controversial 'Bouquet of Tulips' Sculpture to Be Installed Near Petit Palais ARTnews.
  23. ^ Elian Peltier (October 4, 2019), Jeff Koons Inaugurates His Tulip Sculpture in Paris. Finally. New York Times.
  24. ^ Naomi Rea (October 11, 2018), New Life for Jeff Koons's Tulips? The Artist Will Consider Alternative Sites in Paris for His Divisive Sculpture Artnet.
  25. ^ Naomi Rea (October 11, 2018), New Life for Jeff Koons's Tulips? The Artist Will Consider Alternative Sites in Paris for His Divisive Sculpture Artnet.
  26. ^ Catherine Gaschka and Oleg Cetinic (October 4, 2019), Jeff Koons' 'Bouquet of Tulips' honours victims of Paris terror attacks The Guardian.
  27. ^ Matthieu Protard (October 4, 2019), Koons unveils giant 'Bouquet of Tulips' tribute to victims of 2015 Paris attacks Reuters.

Further reading[edit]

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