Guy Hepner Gallery

Jeff Koons Balloon Dog (Red) For Sale

Jeff Koons
Jeff Koons - Balloon Dog (Red), 1995, Porcelain

Balloon Dog (Red), 1995

Porcelain

10 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 5 in26.7 x 26.7 x 12.7 cm

About this work

Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog (Red) is an iconic sculpture that exemplifies his fascination with popular culture, consumerism, and the blurring of high and low art. Created in 1994, this larger-than-life sculpture is part of Koons' Celebration series, which explores themes of childhood, innocence, and the American dream.Standing over ten feet tall, Balloon Dog (Red) is a monumental interpretation of the classic balloon animal commonly found at children's birthday parties and carnivals. Despite its monumental size, the sculpture maintains the whimsical and playful quality of its inflatable inspiration. Crafted from high chromium stainless steel and meticulously polished to a mirror-like finish, the sculpture gleams with a radiant sheen, inviting viewers to marvel at its immaculate surface.Koons' choice of red as the color for the balloon dog adds to its visual impact, evoking associations with passion, energy, and excitement. The vibrant hue further accentuates the sculpture's larger-than-life presence and contributes to its ability to captivate audiences of all ages.One of the most striking aspects of Balloon Dog (Red) is its flawless craftsmanship and attention to detail. Despite its seemingly weightless appearance, the sculpture is meticulously engineered to withstand the elements and maintain its structural integrity. Each crease and fold in the balloon's surface is meticulously rendered, capturing the ephemeral quality of the inflatable object it represents.Beyond its aesthetic appeal, Balloon Dog (Red) serves as a commentary on the nature of art and value in contemporary society. By elevating a mundane object to the status of high art and crafting it from luxurious materials, Koons challenges traditional notions of artistic value and authenticity. The sculpture embodies Koons' belief in the democratization of art and his desire to create works that resonate with a wide audience.Since its creation, Balloon Dog (Red) has become one of Koons' most recognizable and sought-after works. It has been exhibited in prestigious museums and galleries around the world, captivating viewers with its larger-than-life presence and timeless appeal. As a symbol of joy, nostalgia, and the enduring power of imagination, Balloon Dog (Red) continues to inspire and delight audiences of all ages, solidifying its place as a modern masterpiece in the pantheon of contemporary art.

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Edition & Provenance

Year
1995
Medium
Porcelain
Edition
Edition of 2,300
Balloon Dog (Red)

About Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons Prints For Sale

Jeff Koons prints for sale at Guy Hepner Gallery in New York include editions from his Celebration series, Banality works, and Balloon Dog imagery — as well as unique works on paper and rare multiples from across his career. For collectors seeking Jeff Koons art for sale, Guy Hepner at 177 Tenth Avenue, New York offers expert guidance, full provenance documentation, and access to authenticated Koons works across the full range of his edition and print output.

Jeff Koons (b. 1955, York, Pennsylvania) is one of the defining and most provocative figures of American art since the 1980s — an artist whose monumental, technically flawless works challenge the line between high art and popular culture, between desire and kitsch, between critique and celebration. Koons studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, before spending several years as a commodities broker on Wall Street — an experience that deepened his understanding of markets, desire, and the mechanics of perceived value. He began exhibiting in the early 1980s with The New series, placing mass-market vacuum cleaners in illuminated Plexiglas vitrines and presenting consumer goods as pristine, unreachable objects of desire.

His 1986 Statuary series — stainless steel sculptures cast from inflatable toys and novelty objects, their surfaces mirror-polished to an unearthly perfection — established the visual language that would define his career. The Rabbit, a stainless steel casting of an inflatable Easter bunny, is among the most discussed and reproduced sculptures in contemporary art.

Koons' Major Series and Works

Koons' career unfolds across a series of distinct campaigns, each representing a major conceptual and technical project:

  • The New (1980–83) — vacuum cleaners in illuminated vitrines; the beginning of his engagement with consumer desire and pristine surface
  • Equilibrium (1985) — basketballs suspended in aquarium tanks; a meditation on aspiration, class, and entropy
  • Statuary (1986) — stainless steel castings of inflatable toys, including Rabbit (auction record: $91,075,000 at Christie's, 2019)
  • Banality (1988) — hand-painted porcelain and gilded wood sculptures of Michael Jackson, Pink Panther, and other popular icons; the series that announced his most provocative engagement with mass culture
  • Made in Heaven (1989–91) — billboard-scale works of deliberately transgressive content, among the most controversial works in contemporary art
  • Celebration (1994–present) — his most ambitious and commercially successful project: monumental stainless steel balloon animal sculptures including Balloon Dog, Tulips, Hanging Heart, Diamond, and Sacred Heart. Balloon Dog (Orange) achieved $58,405,000 at Christie's in November 2013.
  • Gazing Ball (2013–20) — hand-blown mirrored spheres set against large-scale reproductions of Old Master paintings, exploring reflection, desire, and the history of Western art

Jeff Koons Auction Records and Market

Koons holds one of the most remarkable market records in contemporary art. Rabbit (1986) set a record of $91,075,000 at Christie's in May 2019 — at the time the highest price ever achieved at auction for a living artist. Balloon Dog (Orange) achieved $58,405,000 at Christie's in November 2013. Major Celebration series works consistently command eight-figure results. His prints and edition multiples — produced in partnership with leading publishers and offered in tightly limited editions — are among the most actively traded in the contemporary market, offering collectors access to his visual language at more accessible price points.

Edition prints featuring Balloon Dog, Celebration, and Banality imagery have traded between $15,000 and $200,000 at auction, depending on edition size, subject, condition, and provenance. Works on paper and unique studies are increasingly sought as collectors engage with the full range of his practice beyond the monumental sculptures.

Jeff Koons Prints and Editions: What to Look For

Series: Celebration series prints and Balloon Dog imagery carry the strongest market demand and most consistent auction performance. Banality works have strong historical significance. Prints related to the Gazing Ball series are increasingly valued for their engagement with art history.

Edition size: Koons produces tightly limited editions; smaller runs and artist proofs command significant premium. Original publisher documentation and certificates of authenticity are essential.

Condition: Koons' prints are typically produced on premium substrates with archival inks; works maintained in UV-protected framing with stable storage hold value most reliably.

Provenance: Gallery provenance from Gagosian, Zwirner, or other authorised dealers strengthens value. Exhibition history and reproduction in major catalogues is a further value indicator.

Authenticity: Works should be authenticated through the Koons studio and supported by original publisher documentation. The technical specifications of Koons' prints are precisely documented, allowing for detailed verification.

Jeff Koons' Institutional Impact

Koons' work is held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, MoMA, Tate Modern, The Broad in Los Angeles, and the Palace of Versailles, which hosted a landmark exhibition of his work in 2008. His Bouquet of Tulips sculpture was installed outside the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in 2019. Each institutional acquisition confirms his canonical position in contemporary art history and the enduring institutional demand for his work.

Buy Jeff Koons Art For Sale at Guy Hepner Gallery, New York

Guy Hepner has extensive experience placing Jeff Koons art for sale with collectors worldwide. Our gallery at 177 Tenth Avenue, New York brings particular strength to his prints, editions, and multiples, offering expert guidance on acquisition, valuation, and collection strategy. We bring transparent pricing, full provenance documentation, and direct access to the secondary market for Koons works at every price level.

Whether you are seeking Jeff Koons prints for sale in a specific series, a unique work on paper, or a major Celebration series multiple, Guy Hepner provides the authentication assurance, market expertise, and collector connections to support every acquisition. We offer free, confidential valuations for those looking to sell Koons works, and maintain active relationships with buyers at every level of the Koons market.

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