The balloon dog sculptures made famous by Jeff Koons so closely imitate their twisted latex inspiration that some observers might think they would be better set in a circus than an art gallery.
But the fragility of these seemingly buoyant sculptures was made clear on Thursday when visitors at an art fair in Miami saw a bright blue porcelain dog worth $42,000 fall and shatter into pieces.
The sculpture, which was about 16 inches tall and 19 inches long, was perched on a transparent pedestal at Art Wynwood, an art fair in downtown Miami where more than 50 galleries from the United States and abroad are showcasing works through Sunday.
During the art fair’s V.I.P. preview night on Thursday, art collectors and other aficionados were milling around when a woman knocked over the Koons sculpture, causing it to shatter into at least 100 pieces.
“Before I knew it, they were picking up the Jeff Koons pieces in a dustpan with a broom,” said Stephen Gamson, an art collector and artist who said in an interview on Saturday that he saw the sculpture fall.
[Oh, yeah – that’s me right there. Klutz from the day I was born. Also why I can’t have anything nice. ~ Beege]
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