A publication created in collaboration with the artist to accompany his first solo exhibition with the gallery
2014
Gazing Ball was published on the occasion of the artist's first solo exhibition at David Zwirner. Held in New York in 2013, the show marked the international debut of the Gazing Ball series.
In this body of work, large plaster sculptures modeled after iconic works from the Greco-Roman era and quotidian objects such as garden ornaments are each anchored by a blue "gazing ball" of hand-blown glass. These are conceptually derived from the mirrored ornaments of the kind seen on suburban lawns, including those of Koons's childhood hometown in rural Pennsylvania.
Created in close collaboration with the artist, this fully illustrated publication echoes the classic design of a Picasso catalogue from 1970 admired by Koons, and features an essay by Francesco Bonami. "While all of the sculptures are grounded in their own distinct narratives, derived from art history and suburban towns," Bonami writes, "the seemingly fragile and delicate gazing ball establishes that sense of uncertain equilibrium that exists between history and fantasy, magic and materiality, mass culture and exclusive beauty."
Published by David Zwirner Books