'Bouquet of Tulips' by Jeff Koons.
They say you either love or hate the American sculptor Jeff Koons , one of the most controversial and wayward characters of the moment. And the same thing has happened in Paris, with his new sculpture. As was the case with the Eiffel Tower , in the nineteenth century, or with the louvre pyramid , in the 20th century, Parisians have not been very satisfied with 'Bouquet of Tulips' , the gigantic sculpture that Jeff Koons gave to the city last October 4th.
The bouquet of discord measures 12 meters, weighs 33 tons and is made of bronze, stainless steel and aluminum ; and although it seems strange to many to see an almost toy figure among the Parisian palaces, the sculpture responds to the works of Koons perfectly, with a style kitsch Y pop . Although, yes, there are references.
The author affirms that he has been inspired by the work 'Bouquet of Peace' made by Pablo Picasso in 1958 , and in the New York Statue of Liberty . The bouquet with eleven tulips, instead of 12, symbolizes absence but also hope.
The colorful bouquet has been a gift from the American embassy to Paris as Tribute to the 131 victims of the Bataclan theater attack , which occurred on the night of November 13, 2015. Everyone, including the mayor of the city Anne Hidalgo, has stressed that it is a sculpture that wants to symbolize friendship and freedom.
The mayor declared at the opening ceremony, on October 4, that "a gift is accepted, especially this type of gift that comes from the heart and is dedicated to optimism, to what we have in common, to our values that they are universal.”
The branch of discord.
THE BOUQUET OF DISCORD
Although it now has a definitive location, you will find it located in the gardens of the Champs-Elysées, between the Petit Palais and the Place de la Concorde , very close to the American embassy, initially the artist wanted to place it in a much more ambitious and touristic place, next to the Tokyo Palace and the Museum of Modern Art and overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
However, criticism of the work, which they called opportunistic, and a manifesto in 2018 in Libération ended up placing it in a more modest place.
This same manifesto included another of the points of disagreement shared by many Parisians and that is their financing . The sculpture it has cost 3.5 million euros , financed by American and French collectors. As initially it was going to be installed in the Tokyo Palace, this was going to mean that his exhibitions would be altered for a while. Being a gift, they did not see why it had to mean a cost for the city.
Even a group of 24 prominent French artists issued a letter criticizing the sculptor for his cynicism, as did the associations of victims of the attack , who wondered why the sculpture was not closer to the scene and not in a tourist site. Finally, Koons assured that the 80% of the income from audiovisual reproduction would go to the associations of victims of terrorism and 20% to the City Council for its maintenance.
The controversy goes beyond this work, since many contemporary artists they criticize Koons for having turned his art into something industrial In fact, some of his works are listed as the most expensive in the world. ** 'Rabbit' (1986) was auctioned last May at Christie's in New York for 91.1 million dollars**.
After all the controversy, the work is still standing and, for now, it can be visited in the gardens of the Champs-Elysées. Time will tell if it will not go down in history as one of the great sculptures of Paris...