Monkeys (Chair)

Monkeys (Chair) is a sculpture by the American artist Jeff Koons (112 x 23 x 26 in). It was made in 2002 within the framework of the Popeye Series and is now in possession of the Collection Uli Knecht.[1]

Monkeys (Chair)
ArtistJeff Koons
Year2002 (2002)
MediumPolychromed aluminium
SubjectThree monkeys
Dimensions280 cm × 58 cm × 66 cm (112 in × 23 in × 26 in)
AccessionCollection Uli Knecht

Description

The sculpture is a somewhat surreal combination of everyday objects. Three monkeys, which resemble very much inflatable children's toys, are connected together. They form a chain that dangles from the ceiling. A white straw chair is attached at the lowest end of the chain. The sculpture illustrates Jeff Koon's fascination for children's toys which becomes particularly evident in the Popeye Series for which Koons sought inspiration in floating aids in the shape of animals.[2] The monkeys that feature in the sculpture remind of the game Barrel of Monkeys in which the players have to gain the hook-tailed monkeys in a chain. Monkeys (Chair) is an example of Koons's strategy of mashing up ideas and methods of Pop, Conceptual, and appropriation art with handicraft and popular culture.[3]

Technique

The monkey figures are made of polychromed aluminium. Real plastic toys served as a template for the execution of this work of art. The shiny surface of the metal helps creating a perfect illusion. The transfer into another material creates new static conditions which allow the attachment of the chair at the lowest end of the chain.

Effect

In this work Jeff Koons plays with different material perceptions. The monkeys seem to be made of plastic, but this impression contradicts the sculpture's static properties. If the chain of monkeys was made of inflatable toys, it could not support the heavy weight of the chair. The spectator's only possibility to resolve this contradictory perception is to take a look at the artwork's label.

Bibliography
  • Vinzenz Brinkmann: Jeff Koons – The Sculptor. Exh.Cat. "Jeff Koons, the Painter & the Sculptor", Liebighaus Skulpturensammlung, Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, 20. June - 23. September 2012, Ostfildern 2012, p. 109.

References
  1. Cf. Vinzenz Brinkmann: Jeff Koons – The Sculptor. Exh.Cat. "Jeff Koons, the Painter & the Sculptor", Liebighaus Skulpturensammlung, Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, 20 June - 23 September 2012, Ostfildern 2012, p. 109.
  2. Jeff Koons at the Serpentine Gallery, article by Robin Blake (July 4, 2009). Retrieved on April 2, 2013.
  3. notification of the PinchukArt Centre Archived 2016-02-28 at the Wayback Machine, (March 29, 2012). Retrieved on April 3, 2013.
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