Author Description

Published on the occasion of the installation of Jeff Koons' Split-Rocker at Rockefeller Center in New York City in association with Gagosian Gallery, this colorful new book will appeal to any fan of Koons' work, as well as those interested in contemporary art and landscape architecture. Consistent with Koons's persistent fascination with dichotomy and the in-between, the inspiration for Split-Rocker came when he decided to split and combine two similar but different toy rockers, a pony belonging to his son and a dinosaur ("Dino"). The slippage or "split" between the different halves of the heads gives an almost Cubist aspect to the composition. As the model was enlarged to the scale of a small house, the split became an opening, a profile, and a light shaft. Jeff Koons is largely regarded as one of the most important yet controversial artists of the postwar era. His art has appeared at galleries and museums worldwide, and the subject of the beautiful new book is no exception. Since its creation in 2000, Split-Rocker has appeared at Palais des Papes, Avignon in 2000; and subsequently at Château de Versailles (2008) and Fondation Beyeler (2012). It is also in the collection of the Glenstone private museum in Potomac, Maryland, where it has been on view since June of 2013. This catalogue features images and discussions of all of these installations, including Split-Rocker's most recent exhibition at New York City's Rockefeller Center in 2014.