Gazing Balls
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Jeff Koons Girl with Lobster For Sale
Jeff Koons
Girl with Lobster, 2009
Archival pigmented inkjet with silkscreen on hot pressed natural paper
29 1/2 x 24 in 74.9 x 61 cm
About this work
Jeff Koons' Girl with Lobster is a striking and thought-provoking sculpture that exemplifies his fascination with everyday objects and the concept of banality in art. Created in 2003, this piece is part of Koons' larger body of work that explores themes of consumerism, popular culture, and the blurring of high and low art.At first glance, Girl with Lobster appears to be a straightforward representation of a young girl holding a lobster. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that Koons has infused the sculpture with layers of meaning and symbolism. The girl's exaggerated features and doll-like appearance evoke a sense of innocence and playfulness, while the lobster, a symbol of luxury and decadence, adds a sense of surrealism to the scene.One of the most striking aspects of Girl with Lobster is its monumental scale. Standing at over seven feet tall, the sculpture commands attention and invites viewers to interact with it on a physical and emotional level. Koons' use of scale challenges traditional notions of sculpture and invites viewers to reconsider their relationship with the objects and images that surround them in everyday life.Like much of Koons' work, Girl with Lobster blurs the boundaries between art and commerce. By elevating a seemingly mundane subject to the realm of high art, Koons challenges viewers to reevaluate their preconceptions about what constitutes art and beauty. Through his meticulous attention to detail and craftsmanship, Koons transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, inviting viewers to see the world in a new and unexpected way.Girl with Lobster is also a reflection of Koons' own personal narrative and artistic journey. As a self-proclaimed pastiche artist, Koons draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, including popular culture, art history, and his own personal experiences. In Girl with Lobster, Koons combines elements of childhood nostalgia with references to art history, creating a rich and complex narrative that resonates with viewers on multiple levels.Overall, Girl with Lobster is a testament to Koons' artistic vision and his ability to create works that are both visually stunning and intellectually engaging. By challenging traditional notions of beauty and value, Koons invites viewers to question their own perceptions and biases, ultimately leading to a deeper appreciation of the world around them.
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Edition & Provenance
- Year
- 2009
- Medium
- Archival pigmented inkjet with silkscreen on hot pressed natural paper
- Edition
- Edition of 45
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.