“Balloon Dog” by Jeff Koons
The inflatable animals, according to American artist Jeff Koons, represent breath and human life. The sculptures, which exude optimism, create a contrast between the mundane and the monumental. His balloons’ reflective surfaces add to their meaning as well.
Koons –whose $91 million “Rabbit” sculpture set the record for the most expensive work sold at auction by a living artist– first used balloon dogs in his 1994 “Celebration” series. Koons’ steel sculpture “Balloon Dog (Orange)” sold for $58.4 million in 2013.