The estimated value of the sculpture is 7.5 – 12.5 million dollars.
June 28, 2022, the iconic sculpture of Jeff Koons Balloon Monkey (Magenta) – “Monkey from balloons (purple)”, estimated at 6 – 10 million pounds (about 7.5-12.5 million dollars) will be presented by Victor and Elena Pinchuk for sale at Christie's auction. The funds raised will be used for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, in particular, for severely wounded during the war military and civilians in need of urgent prosthetics, treatment and rehabilitation to restore quality of life.
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“Our gratitude and respect for our soldiers knows no bounds. They give their lives for us, the future of Ukraine and the world. Every Ukrainian killed or wounded by shelling, explosions and violence is a wound in our souls. At the expense of the auction we can help save lives. We can help rebuild a war-torn life. Dozens, maybe hundreds of lives, each of which has indescribable value.
Jeff Koons' Balloon Monkey is a celebration of life. We place life and hope as opposed to death and suffering. In art and in action. We are grateful to Jeff and Christie’s. They help us to turn at least part of our boundless gratitude to Ukrainians into help and support, “Viktor Pinchuk said.
The sculpture will be exhibited as part of the auction “XX/XXI Century: Evening London Auction”. It demonstrates the power of art, which unites and unites to support the protection of freedom and life in difficult times. This work will be exhibited in St. James's Square, near Christie's headquarters in London, where visitors can see it from June 14 to July 3, 2022.
In 2008, another sculpture by Koons, Balloon Flower (Magenta) ) – “Flowers from balloons (purple)” was also exhibited in St. James's Square. Then this work set a record record among sales of Koons' works – 25.7 million dollars. In November 2014, Balloon Monkey (Orange) – “Balloon Monkey (Orange)” – from the same series as the current lot, reached a selling price of $ 25.9 million.
“Victor and Olena Pinchuk are working tirelessly to intensify humanitarian support for Ukraine, so I am honored that Balloon Monkey (Magenta) will support their extraordinary efforts. The true value of art is to serve humanity, and today there can be no higher vocation than to support the people of Ukraine. Thanks to my friendship with Viktor and Olena Pinchuk, my life has been enriched by the people and culture of Ukraine. I had the opportunity to visit Ukraine many times, both alone and with my family, and I always had a strong sense of unity, friendship and history. My series of Balloon Venus sculptures – “Venus from a Balloon” – is in dialogue with prehistoric figures of Venus, which I saw in the collection of the National Museum of History of Ukraine. For me, these sculptures are connected with world history, which is closely intertwined with the art of human history. One of the reasons I work with the ball is that its membrane is like our skin; it is about inner and outer life. I am deeply saddened by the war and the destruction that the Ukrainian people are experiencing. Balloon Monkey (Magenta) accordingly symbolizes hope, affirmation and transcendence, so I can only hope that the donation of my work by Victor and Elena Pinchuk can help draw attention to the need to help and support the Ukrainian people now more than ever, “said sculptor Jeff Koons. .
Balloon Monkey (Magenta) is a masterpiece of paradoxical power, the contradictions of which fluctuate between amazing complexity and absolute simplicity, seriousness and play, pop culture and our deepest, primitive ways of myths and beliefs. This irony object was created with almost unbelievable dedication, as the personification of trust, openness, sincerity and love. For Koons, Balloon Monkey (Magenta) is a profound and cheerful confirmation that art is not only what we see, but also what happens inside us.
The themes of air, breathing and filling objects have long been central to Koons' practice. He began researching inflatable objects as early as 1979, creating a series of Inflatables works that continued in the closed, fluorescently illuminated vacuum cleaners he exhibited the following year under the title The New. The 1985 Equilibrium series featured basketball balls suspended in water tanks and frightening heavy bronze floating objects. His iconic “Rabbit” made of stainless steel, the direct ancestor of animals from balloons, appeared in 1986. Balloon Dog “Balloon Dog” was part of the large-scale Celebration series, launched in the early 1990s, which rethought the objects associated with such significant events as birthdays, Easter and Valentine's Day. Along with Balloon Swan (2004-2011) and Ballon Rabbit (Balloon Rabbit, 2005-2010), Balloon Monkey (Margenta) is the culmination of the evolution of this series with its wild spirit and sophisticated appearance. confusing.
Balloon Monkey (Margenta) is one of five unique versions of Balloon Monkey, each made of mirror-polished stainless steel with a transparent color coating: other works in the series are red, blue, yellow and orange. The length of the Balloon Monkey (Margenta) from head to tail is six meters and the height is almost four meters.
“Early in the morning of February 24, the lives of all Ukrainians changed forever. We, like all Ukrainians, do everything in our power to fight for every life and every dream that people had before the war. To do this, we need allies. We need the world to help us, support our efforts, and be with us in this fight against evil. Jeff Koons' Balloon Monkey sculpture will be put up for auction on June 28 to remind the world that the war is still going on and to raise funds for prostheses and other emergency medical care that saves the lives of many Ukrainians.
Thank you for being with Ukraine at this difficult time. Your support saves lives! ”Olena Pinchuk said.
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