18/10/2021
Jeff Koons returns to Palazzo Strozzi in Florence with "Shine"
by Giulia De Sanctis
From 2nd October 2021 to January 30th 2022 Palazzo Strozzi in Florence hosts a new huge exhibition dedicated to one of the most important and discussed figures of contemporary art in the world: American artist Jeff Koons. Curated by Arturo Galansino and Joachim Pissarro, the exhibition project consists of a selection of the most famous works of the artist, from the sixties to today, hosting loans from the most important collections and major international museums: the reinvention of ready-made inspired by Duchamp and Warhol, the metal replicas of luxury goods, inflatable toys inspired by the balloons of children’s parties, the reinterpretation of pop culture characters up to the great recent sculptures in perpetual experimentation and contamination of images and symbols of the history of art and contemporary culture. Fragile objects, with kitsch features and forged in stainless steel, resistant and unalterable: the artist makes ephemeral monumental and iconic products.
Jeff Koons. Shine. Exibition view at Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze 2021. Photo © Ela Bialkowska OKNOstudio
The exhibition offers an original key to reading the art of Koons the concept of Shine, shine understood as a game of ambiguity between splendor and glow, be and appear, a key principle of his innovative sculptures and installations that aim to question our relationship with reality but also the very concept of a work of art. The works of Jeff Koons, resplendent and reflective, allow visitors to become an integral part of the work, in constant dialogue between the real and the imaginary: "it is not a matter of creating an object or an image; everything happens in the relationship with the viewer. This is where art happens", says the artist.
After graduating from language high school, love for art led Giulia De Sanctis (Turin, 1998) to obtain Communication and Enhancement of Artistic Heritage’ degree at the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti in Turin. She collaborated with art galleries in Turin as an assistant, dealing with the cataloging of the works, the preparation of exhibitions and the press office. She collaborates actively with various magazines and web publications of the art sector.