France, cultural figures sign appeal to say no to Jeff Koons' onerous gift

France, culture personalities sign appeal to say no to Jeff Koons’ onerous gift

Several cultural figures in France have signed an appeal to say no to Jeff Koons’s Bouquet of Tulips, the work the American artist donated to Paris as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 attacks. The problem lies in the fact that Koons donated only the concept of the work: the making and installation will in fact be the responsibility of third-party funders. The affair, which has been dragging on for more than a year, we had also covered in our editorial, which you can read by clicking here. The French now don’t take it anymore and, with the appeal signed by the likes of Christian Boltanski, Frédéric Mitterrand and Olivier Assayas, are asking the city to give up Jeff Koons’ gift. Below is the full text of the appeal, which we have translated into Italian. At this link, in the newspaper Libération, the original text with the names of the signatories.

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On November 21, 2016, the U.S. Embassy in France and the City of Paris announced the gift of Jeff Koons’ monumental Bouquet of Tulips, to permanently install it in the Place de Tokyo, subject to obtaining the last necessary authorizations. And while these reservations have not yet been dissolved, the work is reportedly under construction, in a German factory, and installation is imminent.

We, artists, policy makers, professionals and enthusiasts of the French art scene, demand the abandonment of this initiative.

This project is for all intents and purposes shocking, for reasons of different order and importance, but the accumulation of them should lead wisely to abandon the work:

symbolically, first of all. This sculpture was proposed by the artist as a symbol of remembrance, optimism and new stability, in order to overcome the terrible events that took place in Paris, as a tribute to the victims of the November 13, 2015 attacks. But the choice of the work, and especially its location, which bear no relation to the tragic events called into question and their actual location, appear at least surprising, if not opportunistic, even cynical.

Democratically, why, if a work of unprecedented importance is to be accommodated in this particularly prestigious place from a historical and cultural point of view, should it not rather proceed with a call for bids, as is the custom, so as to open this opportunity to the actors of the French scene? The creativity of our country, which is extremely vital, would benefit greatly from such a situation.

architecturally and patrimonially, because because of its visual impact, its gigantism (12 meters high, 8 meters wide and 10 meters deep) and its placement, this sculpture would devastate the harmony of the colonnade of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la ville de Paris and the Palais de Tokyo, as well as the view of the Eiffel Tower.

artistically, because Jeff Koons, a brilliant and imaginative artist during the 1980s, has become over time an emblem of industrial, spectacular and speculative art. His atelier and dealers now represent a hyper-luxury multinational corporation. Offering them such strong visibility and recognition would mean giving them publicity, and this would happen in a place with a high tourist vocation, between two important cultural institutes, aimed mainly at emerging artists and the French art scene.

Financially, because this installation would be expensive for the state, and therefore for taxpayers. Because the artist has donated nothing more than his idea, while the creation and installation of the sculpture, operations estimated at 3.5 million euros as a minimum, will be financed by patrons, mainly French, who will benefit from tax reductions of up to 66 percent. In addition, the preliminary work, which will be used to reinforce the foundations of the Palais de Tokyo, will certainly immobilize its spaces and result in lost earnings for the museum.

technically, because placing a 35-ton work underneath the Palais de Tokyo is a major challenge. Already uncertain to begin with, the security of such an undertaking is impossible to guarantee in the long term.

We appreciate gifts, but free, unconditional and without ulterior motives.

Pictured is the rendering of Bouquet of Tulips in place de Tokyo.

France, cultural figures sign appeal to say no to Jeff Koons' onerous gift

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