Pop artist Jeff Koons has created his iconic balloon dogs in all colors (orange, red, magenta, yellow and blue) and sizes (from 10 inches to 10 feet tall), but now, thanks to a fairgoer, who became curious at Bel-Air Fine Art’s booth during a VIP night at Art Wynwood, there’s one less blue dog in the world.
The 16-inch-tall porcelain sculpture was standing atop a plexiglass pedestal, minding its own business, when an art collector poked it, sending it to the floor and breaking it into at least 100 pieces. Before the accident, there were 799 shiny balloon dogs of this model and color; now there are 798.
“Before I knew it, they were picking up the Jeff Koons pieces in a dustpan with a broom,” said Stephen Gamson, an art collector and artist who said in an interview on Saturday that he saw the sculpture fall, according to The New York Times.
According to Bernardaud, which carries the blue balloon dog, “The porcelain edition references the ten-foot tall stainless steel sculpture, Balloon Dog (1994-2000), which recreates a balloon, twisted into the shape of a dog, in painstaking detail on a monumental scale. The inflatable balloon evokes childhood memories and innocent playfulness; Koons takes an object that represents the fleeting pleasures of life and renders it permanent.” The sculptures are made in Limoges, France.
A huge, orange balloon dog fetched $58.9 million in 2013. The small blue version was fully insured.
