Jeff Koons: Genius, psychopath, both?

Well, after about a week of pretending that my blog does not exist and that I'm all caught up on all my work I have decided to come out of my delusional state and get to work.  It seems like I go through this about every two entries...seriously pulling teeth.   Okay Jeff Koons.  He was introduced in class and seems like such an interesting dude I figured I could do a blog post on him.

I have gathered three of his best known works and some of the more garish pieces that epitomize his style. I actually personally like his balloon animals, not because I think they are great art, or because I have any respect for their creator, or the reason they were created, but because they at least don't make me uncomfortable the way that the other two pieces do.  There is something so grotesque and disturbing about his work and I can't quit put a finger on it, but It might have to so with the faces and the eyes of the figurines that he/his slave monkeys, fabricate.  Balloon Dog thankfully has no eyes, and is just big shiny and colorful, not challenging in anyway, and therefore, though void of meaning, is pleasant to look at.  This larger than life piece of steel with a mirror finish is molded into the form of a giant balloon puppy.  It is colored a garish golden yellow.  It's surface is highly reflective and distorts all images it reflects back to the viewer (not that that was something that Jeff Koons considered or even contemplated when he made this work). 

It is ironic(Koons does not even want irony in his work) that the sculpture is a rendering of a small child's plaything, that is given to them to cause squeals of joy and delight before they are quickly forgotten about and discarded, having served no real purpose in that child's life. It's Ironic because this is the same purpose that his sculpture serves for the uber rich or the world.  The uber rich child minds that have little taste or culture or depth eat his works up perhaps because his work represents what they often times stand for: showy, vapid, frivolity. 


Michael Jackson and Bubbles 1998 porcelain/ceramic blend. 42x70x32''




Balloon Dog (Yellow) 1994-2000 steel



Pink Panther 1988 porcelain 41x20x19

I wanted to add a picture of Koons because I think that his work is as much about his persona as it is about any object or painting he thinks up and has a work force create.  Some quotes form Koons about his work.
Wikiquotes:

• Abstraction and luxury are the guard dogs of the upper class.

• Art to me is a humanitarian act and I believe that there is a responsibility that art should somehow be able to affect mankind, to make the world a better place.

• I try to be a truthful artist and I try to show a level of courage. I enjoy that. I'm a messenger.

• When somebody sees my work, the only thing that they see is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

So, is he a psycopath?  You decide. Here are some common traits of a psycopath personality:

Psychopathy Checklist-Revised: Factors, Facets, and Items^[5]

Factor 1	Factor 2	Other items
Facet 1 Interpersonal Glibness/superficial charm Grandiose sense of self-worth Pathological lying Cunning/manipulative Facet 2 Affective Lack of remorse or guilt Emotionally shallow Callous/lack of empathy Failure to accept responsibility for own actions	Facet 3 Lifestyle Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom Parasitic lifestyle Lack of realistic, long-term goals Impulsiveness Irresponsibility Facet 4 Antisocial Poor behavioral controls Early behavioral problems Juvenile delinquency Revocation of conditional release Criminal versatility.	Many short-term marital relationships Promiscuous sexual behavior