Jeff Koons - Framed hand-signed photo: Michael Jackson and Bubbles - 2012 (neat frame!

Framed, hand-signed photo by Jeff Koons from 2012. Depiction of Michael Jackson and Bubbles.
Dimensions including frame: H37.5 x w47.5cm. Photo dimensions: H20.5 x w30cm. The work is signed and dated (19-06-2012) by the artist at the bottom right, with marker pen.


Description:
The life-size porcelain statue shows the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson leaning on a flowerbed. On his lap is his domesticated chimpanzee Bubbles, holding a white cloth. Jackson and his pet form an optical unit. They wear similar clothes, are homogeneously colored, and parts of their bodies run parallel to each other, such as Jackson's right hand and Bubbles' paw. The statue is arranged in a triangular composition with multiple perspectives.

Sculpture:
Bubbles was Jackson's pet that was purchased by the artist in 1983 from a research center in Texas. The media claim that he was Jackson's best and loyal friend, even accompanying the singer on his world tours and helping around the house. Jeff Koons used a press photo of Jackson and Bubbles as a template for his sculpture. It is virtually identical to the artist's work, except for a slight variation in pose. Koons changed Jackson's viewing direction and thus adapted the composition to the requirements of a sculptural work that must take into account many different viewing angles.

At the time the image was taken, Jackson had already become a world-famous artist. After setting a sales record with his album Bad, he was at the peak of his career. Koons' artwork can be read as a commentary on the great media attention that has arisen for Jackson's life as a musician and as a private individual.
Three sculptures of Michael Jackson and Bubbles were created. One was sold at Sotheby's on May 15, 2001, when it was auctioned for a record price of $5.6 million. The artist's proof is owned by businessman and art collector Eli Broad's Broad Art Foundation and is on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (it is now at The Broad Museum in downtown Los Angeles). The two other versions are in Oslo at the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art and at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Interpretation:
Jeff Koons has stated that his artworks should reach the widest possible audience. For this he looked for inspiration in entertainment media, pop culture and Christian art. The portrayal of a media-effective person like Michael Jackson might have helped him achieve this goal. In the 1980s, marked by a new consumer and media culture, Jackson enjoyed enormous chart success and became a pop icon. Koons now overemphasized the King of Pop's iconic manner, which paralleled him with Christian icons. The artist once said about the image:
I wanted to create it in a very divine icon way. But I've always loved the radicalness of Michael Jackson; that he would do absolutely whatever it took to communicate with people.


Koons has stated that he was also inspired by the triangular composition of Michelangelo's Pietà. Moreover, the material of the work is reminiscent of Catholic, mass-produced figures of saints, which are usually made of porcelain and gold leaf. The statue thus becomes a kitschy object that appeals to a wide audience and the art market. Koons claims that he wanted to portray Jackson as a new redemptive figure who allows people to discover their own cultural mythology.



Michael Jackson and Bubbles are also read as a symbol of the human desire for self-discovery. Jackson publicly demonstrated his childish personality and attempted to reinvent himself through plastic surgery. Koons was fascinated by Jackson's self-transformations and the way he played with images such as himself against Bubbles.

In 2012, the Liebieghaus in Frankfurt attracted attention by exhibiting Michael Jackson and Bubbles next to Egyptian mummies, creating an aesthetic and ironic dialogue between the objects.

Frames: Damage to frames is not described. If a work is framed behind glass and the glass is broken, this will be stated. Reflection may be visible in photos of framed works.


When purchased, the work can be picked up in 's-Gravenzande (near The Hague
(Scheveningen), Rotterdam and Delft and 5 minutes from the beach). The term for it
collection, upon payment in advance, is very generous, in other words the buyer can have the work done for weeks or even
collect it months later and, if possible, combine it with a visit to one of the
above-mentioned cities or the beach. We can also ship the work with Postnl. Our shipping days are Tuesday and Thursday.