Main image: Jeff Koons, Balloon Monkey (Magenta) (2006-13, estimate: £6,000,000-10,000,000) by Christie’s
On 28 June 2022, Jeff Koons’ sculpture Balloon Monkey (Magenta) (estimate: £6,000,000-10,000,000) will be presented for sale at Christie’s by Victor and Olena Pinchuk to raise vital funds for humanitarian aid for Ukraine. In particular, the proceeds will be used to assist soldiers and civilians gravely wounded by war who urgently require prosthetics, medical treatment and rehabilitation to recover as much quality of life as possible.
The sculpture will be exhibited in St James’ Square, adjacent to Christie’s Headquarters in London, inviting audiences across the capital to come together for a moment of contemplation from 14 June to 1 July 2022.
Victor and Olena Pinchuk have been working tirelessly to galvanize humanitarian aid for Ukraine, so it is a sincere privilege to have my artwork Balloon Monkey (Magenta) auctioned at Christie’s to support their extraordinary efforts. Art’s true value is to be of service to humanity and there could not be a higher calling at this moment than to support the Ukrainian people
Jeff Koons for Christie’s
Balloon Monkey (Magenta) is a masterpiece of paradoxical power, its contradictions oscillating between mind-bending complexity and total simplicity; seriousness and play; pop culture and our deepest, most primal structures of myth and belief. It is an object free of irony, created with near-unimaginable dedication, and presented as an expression of trust, openness, sincerity and love. For Koons, Balloon Monkey (Magenta) is a profound and buoyant affirmation that art is not only what we see, but what happens inside us.
I have been very saddened by the human and cultural impact of the war and destruction that I have witnessed in Ukraine. Balloon Monkey (Magenta) fittingly symbolizes hope, affirmation, and transcendence, and I can only hope that the donation of my artwork by Victor and Olena Pinchuk can help draw attention to the need for aid and support for the people of this country, now more than ever.â€
Jeff Koons for Christie’s
