Author: Hilary
Dog Artist Extraordinaire
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 @ 7:09 pm
I am taking Cup of Dog a little bit highbrow this evening! What many of you don’t know about me is that my degree is in art history…and now I work with dogs. Glad I spent all that time in school…Anyway, one of contemporary art’s most venerable players has been making dog themed art for quite some time and I have to say, dogs have always been my favorite theme for some good art.
Jeff Koons, who actually attended my alma mater, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago makes a damn good piece of dog art. (He also attended the Maryland Institute College of Art, where I took classes as a kid. I am totally a stalker.) Many use terms like ‘kitsch’ when describing his artwork, but I say ‘Ruff’!
His work Balloon Dog (mixed media sculpture, produced in editioned series) fizzles with color and free spirited fun. These dogs come in all sizes and are made of high chromium stainless steel with a transparent color coating. 
What can I say? I love it! My next favorite Koons would have to be Puppy, a forty-three foot tall topiary sculpture of a West Highland White Terrier puppy executed in a variety of flowers on a steel armature, done in 1992 for an exhibit in Germany. In 1995 Puppy was dismantled and rebuilt for permanent exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Harbour. The new one includes an internal irrigation system. How cool is that?
In 1997, Puppy was purchased by the Guggenheim Foundation and installed at their Bilbao location. Puppy is also privately owned by model Stephanie Seymour and her husband. It is installed on their Connecticut property.
While there are other dog themed works, one of pertinent interest is going to be included in Sotheby’s Contemporary Art sale, scheduled for July 1, 2008 in London. Koon’s Yorkshire Terriers sculpture hits the auction block with a hefty estimate of $1.5 million - $2 million dollars. The piece is made of polychromed wood and for those interested in bidding, head over to the Sotheby’s website. Happy bidding!
Here are some more images to enjoy from the same series as the Yorkshire Terriers.
Poodle, 1991
Bob-Tail, 1991
White Terrier, 1991
Three Puppies, 1991
By the way, I also make my own dog themed art and have been since studying at Jeff Koon’s place of education…Leave a comment if you think your dog should be my next subject!
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June 17th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
[…] auction block on July 1, 2008 in London at a hefty $1.5 - 2 million bucks! Here is the full story: Dog Artist Extraordinaire | CupOFdog | Dog Site for Dog People Attached Thumbnails __________________ Ella Bean invites Yorkie Talk to the Dog […]
June 17th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I am looking for original classic style stationary for my pups. Do you think that the drawings on your site could be used to create stationary and cards? They look very speical and maybe they could be a little personalized for a particular pet on request.
Please let me know
June 17th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Marlene,
Thanks for stopping by Cup of Dog. Unfortunately, we are only producing one of a kind artist’s works right now - not printed materials. However, if you would like to commission a portrait, I am sure the artist will be fine with your using the image to produce anything you would like.
Thanks!
Cup of Dog Admin
June 18th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I just launched my new film “Dogs in Art” this week. It looks at 5,000 years of dogs in art and features over 60 dog artists. Koons didn’t make the cut, but he will if I do a sequel of dog sculptures. You can view it here…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpIp0Ebao8k
June 18th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Moira,
I just checked out your video. Fantastic! I believe I recognized quite a few of those dogs!
Thanks for visiting Cup of Dog! I hope you’ll keep visiting us!
Hilary
August 1st, 2008 at 9:21 pm
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