On Saturday in New York we were able to
see not one but two big exhibitions of Jeff Koons. Infamously the two shows
were on at two competing dealer mega galleries Gagosian and David Zwirner. David Zwirner has only
ever lost one of his big-time artists (that was Franz West and he went to
Gagosian) and Gagosian doesn't like losing anything so all eyes are on how this Koons arrangement evolves. And how the hell Koons
pulled off this doubles stunt is
anyone’s guess but it's definitely a muscle flexing demo of his pulling power with rich collectors.
Anyway there were Koons to burn at both barn-sized spaces but very different
approaches to their ARIPs (Audience Relationship Interface Protocols).
Gagosian was guard heavy. Ten of them in fact (more
than one per work which were in fairness finger-licking shiny stainless steel)
and dressed in black along with a grey-suited boss who scuttled around
repositioning his team like a neurotic cricket captain adjusting the out field. No
touching, no photography, no bags. When we did take a photo from the street
through the window a guard inside was not a happy person.
At Zwirmer's a couple of guards handled the whole
area. Photography was fine, posing in front of the works was ok and bags and
backpacks didn’t seem to be a problem.
Then we went to Zwirner’s other gigantic gallery on
the next block to look at sculpture from another galaxy altogether.
Images: Guarding Koons at David Zwirner Gallery in
Chelsea.
