Jeff Koons is one of the 20th century’s most important and audacious artists. He established his reputation in the mid-ʼ80s with sculptures that were at once subversive and optimistic.
In 1985, he debuted his iconic "One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank" as part of his series. The iconic sculpture depicted in this print was the result of a collaboration with a physicist to have a basketball suspended in a solution of distilled water and pure salt. A metaphor for the fragility of life, the “equilibrium” could only be naturally maintained for a number of months.
Like the best of Koonsʼ work, there is a fascinating intersection between consumerism and high art, the precious and the banal. Sports rarely make memorable appearances in the visual arts, often veering on sentimentality or kitsch. Here, basketball is used as a vehicle to explore some of his favorite themes – childhood, ambition, inflatables and universal appeal – while creating a new icon within his oeuvre.
In 2000, Koons created a series of prints that celebrated the first ten years or so of his sculptures. Over the course of his career, he has created a very small number of prints or multiples. This affordable work by one of the most valuable artists of our day is a celebration of one of his best and most important early works.
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Additional images available on request.
Signed, numbered, and dated "Koons '95"
Lithograph, from an edition of 50
42.5"H 31"W (work)
Framed with plexiglass (minor wear)
