I love pop art, so hitting up this show at the uber-modern The Centre Pompidou was a no-brainer. Jeff Koon is considered to be one of the world’s most expensive artists (his work can fetch for $25 million upwards) an he’s produced a collection of iconic and controversial pieces in the last 40 years, many which feature in this small retrospective. There’s the 1989 Made in Heaven piece of him and his wife, tha MJ and Bubbles sculpture and of course, the Balloon Dog (Magenta), which appears to be the show’s centrepiece and clearly a favourite amongst the visitors. It’s unbelievably metallic, but such is the incredible level of detail that you’ll be tempted to touch it to find out.
While the show features plenty of fun stuff to take selfies with, one of my friends who came with me found it all a bit “meh”, and I could understand why – without the Koon backstory, the work here is just a pick and mix of kitsch and quirky artwork without the meaning that comes from a more meticulously curated (or larger) show. Still, it’s a whistle-stop education in a contemporary American artist who, though a bit Marmite, does what he does quite well. Had we stayed a bit longer for our €13, it might have been worth checking out some of the other Pompidou exhibitions, including a Hervé Télémaque retrospective (on until 18th May) and the What Is Photography? exhibition, an exploration of the medium in modern times (on until 1st June). www.centrepompidou.fr/en/The-Centre-Pompidou (Nearest Metros: Rambuteau)
