A small glass sculpture by renowned artist Jeff Koons was accidentally knocked over by a collector attending a contemporary art fair, shattering it into pieces. The artwork, which is a part of Jeff Koons’ well-known “balloon dog” series, was worth $42,000. Several collectors believed the incident—which happened at a VIP preview at Art Wynwood in Miami—was performance art or a planned stunt.
The artwork was shown alone on an acrylic base with Koons’s last name.
“I saw this woman was there, and she was tapping (the sculpture), and then the thing fell over and shattered into thousands of pieces,” artist Stephen Gamson told a Fox News affiliate in Miami.
Gamson told the media that he believed the woman touched the artwork to determine whether it was a real balloon.
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OH DAMN! 😱😱😱😱😱
А balloon sculpture of famous artist Jeff Koons in the shape of a dog crashed at the Art Wynwood Fair in Miami. It was valued at $42,000, the Daily Mail.
🔉
It is specified that one of the collectors decided to check whether the work by Koons really lived up… https://t.co/J8QwVtQt2K pic.twitter.com/yJXi6sWuFq
— TheRealBiffBifford 🇺🇸 (@TBifford) February 19, 2023
While gallery staff picked up the glass pieces, a bystander recorded the incident on camera.
A person can be heard saying, “I can’t believe somebody would knock that over,” in the video.
The woman did not intend to shatter the Koons sculpture, according to Benedicte Caluch, an art advisor with Bel-Air Fine Art, which sponsored the artwork, who also informed the Miami Herald that insurance would cover the damage.
American painter and sculptor Koons, who was not present, finds inspiration in commonplace items like balloon animals. Even though they have sold at auction for as much as $91 million, his pieces question ideas about what constitutes fine art.
(With inputs from agencies)
