Celebration

Jeff Koons began his career-defining “Celebration” series in 1993—an ambitious collection of over 30 monumental sculptures and paintings that pay tribute to life’s big milestones, such as birthdays, weddings, and becoming a parent. The venture took over 10 years to complete and nearly bankrupted Koons, requiring sizable investments from the artist’s collectors, dealers, and friends. “Celebration” introduced many of Koons’s now-iconic symbols on a large scale, including 10-foot balloon dogs, giant mounds of Play-Doh, bouquets of human-sized tulips, and 3,000-pound hearts suspended from the ceiling. Those who helped finance the production of “Celebration” saw fast returns—Balloon Dog (Orange) (1994–2000) was purchased for $58.4 million at Christie’s, setting a new record at the time for the most expensive work ever sold at auction by a living artist. Koons has also added more collectible works to the series, such as smaller balloon swans, rabbits, and monkeys, as well as porcelain plates