Hulk Elvis – Jeff Koons (Rizzoli)
July 18, 2010 · Print This Article
There is perhaps no other artist that engenders such diametrically opposed reactions in the art world as Jeff Koons. It’s no secret that his larger than life reproductions of everyday objects inspire some while often disturbing others. Koons’ flair for serious kitsch combined with what some regard as a self-aggrandising attitude have put him at the center of controversy in the art world for the last two decades.
His latest work, ‘Hulk Elvis,’ scales back the ambition slightly (no 45 foot topiary sculptures in this volume) to showcase an exhibit from his show of the same name at London’s Gagosian Gallery in 2007. The large format, 140 page book features images of the Incredible Hulk, the Liberty Bell, an inflatable monkey and even a distortion of Led Zeppelin photograph.
Koons’ eye-popping images are a layered combination of photo montages, photoshop color halftone backgrounds and metallic silver paints (properly reproduced here with a fifth-color layer of metallic ink) to create images that jump off the page with animated energy. Commentary on Koons work is provided by Artforum’s Scott Rothkopf (much of which oddly centers around Jeff Koons’ October 2008 exhibition at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie, Celebration.) The book also features an interview with Koons by longtime curator Hans Ulrich Obrist.
There is also a collectable, autographed, first-edition that sells for about $500 when you can find it online.
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