Olive Oyl (Red)
2004-2009
Stainless steel and colored transparent coating
182.4 x 151.1 cm (71 13/16 x 59 1/2 in.)
In Olive Oyl (Red), a familiar face is superimposed on that of the eponymous young woman, the famous female character in love with Popeye. For this portrait is ours. The viewer’s face is reflected in a mirror on which a red coating has been applied to draw the heroine's face.
From early in his career, Jeff Koons has focused on mundane, unexpected objects such as vacuum cleaners, porcelain figurines and children's toys. The use of such motifs illustrating middle-class values questions aesthetic hierarchies. Made in five copies, each with unique colours, Olive Oyl features both a commonplace mirror and a popular fictional character.
Jeff Koons' Olive Oyl (Red) was first presented by the Pinault Collection at the "Agony and Ecstasy" show at Songeun Artspace in Seoul (2011).
From early in his career, Jeff Koons has focused on mundane, unexpected objects such as vacuum cleaners, porcelain figurines and children's toys. The use of such motifs illustrating middle-class values questions aesthetic hierarchies. Made in five copies, each with unique colours, Olive Oyl features both a commonplace mirror and a popular fictional character.
Jeff Koons' Olive Oyl (Red) was first presented by the Pinault Collection at the "Agony and Ecstasy" show at Songeun Artspace in Seoul (2011).
Exhibitions
© Jeff Koons
Courtesy Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris.
Photo: J.P. Humbert
© Jeff Koons
Photo : Laurent Lecat / Mucem
Exhibition view «Jeff Koons Mucem. Works from the Pinault Collection», Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (Mucem), Marseille, May 19th – October 18th, 2021.
