Jeff Koons

Bourgeois Bust - Jeff and Ilona

About this artwork

Bourgeois Bust was originally created for the Made in Heaven exhibition, in which Jeff Koons explored the concept of love in relation to his own marriage to porn star Ilona Staller. Represented as a marble portrait bust, the couple are depicted within a traditional Baroque style that drew its inspiration from antique classical sculpture. With her plaited hair and string of pearls, Staller appears like Venus, the Greek goddess of love. Declaring sensationally 'We’ve become God' their spiritual and physical union seemingly elevates the pair to a higher realm of idealised existence and ecstasy.

Updated before 2020

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  • artist:
    Jeff Koons (born 1955) American
  • title:
    Bourgeois Bust - Jeff and Ilona
  • date created:
    1991
  • materials:
    Marble
  • measurements:
    195.00 x 74.50 x 58.00 cm (installed size); 119.00 x 74.50 x 58.00 cm (figure size)
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund, 2008
  • accession number:
    AR00597
  • gallery:
  • depicted:
  • subject:
This artwork is part of Artist Rooms
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Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons