Jeff Koons: A Man of Trust

Businessman or artist? Documentary explores

Jeff Koons shatters the romanticised image of the artist in a second. Looking more like a wealthy businessman than a radical artist, it’s hard to believe he’s one of the bad boys of the art world.he’s one of the bad boys of the art world.

The fact he was a commodities broker, fresh out of a spell on Wall Street, was a problem to the 80s’ art establishment. So were the Hoovers encased in Plexiglas, the waving, grinning ‘Winter Bears’ and the 40-foot ‘Puppy’ made from flowers. Critics replied with accusations of kitsch, pornography and overpriced holiday souvenirs, but Koons was hardly affronted. In his well-developed media voice, he affirmed his works were statements about consumerism, the transience of fashions and the dominance of pop culture, raking in millions of dollars with every tap of an auctioneer’s hammer.

In this documentary, the art entrepreneur takes time to lead a tour around his Parisian galleries, showcasing seminal pieces including Michael Jackson and Bubbles, his Made in Heaven series and trademark Rabbit. A natural in front of the camera, Koons speaks intimately about the influence his marriage to Italian porn star La Cicciolina has had on his work, before leading the camera around his infamous workshop, where unknown ‘assistants’ transform his ideas into million-pound art.

Intriguingly, this documentary also reveals the creative force brewing beneath his cool and businesslike exterior, as Koons exposes his thought process in an unusual tour around a supermarket. Bizarrely interpreting the visual imagery behind everyday items such as popcorn and slimming shakes, we catch a glimpse of the mad genius under the suit, and some of the original ideas and concepts that have, over the years, fuelled so much eyebrow-raising work.