In honor of the late, great advocate of the arts, Walter H. Annenberg, the Whitney Museum of American Art established the Walter Annenberg Annual Lecture to better our understanding of American art and culture. For the 10th edition of the Annenberg Lecture, one of most influential and widely recognized artists of this century, Jeff Koons, stepped up to the plate for a Q&A-style lecture. Koons spoke with Adam D. Weinberg, the Whitney’s Alice Pratt Brown Director. This Q&A was also in celebration of the Whitney Museum's exhibition, Jeff Koons: A Retrospective, which is the last one they will hold at their 945 Madison Avenue location.
The "lecture" was more of a stream of consciousness conversation, where Koons talked about his inspirations and experiences throughout the decades. To compliment the dim lights and comfy seating, there was a light-hearted story-telling vibe that elicited laughs and genuine "aha" moments. For those who missed the lecture, we rounded up the The Best Quotes from the Jeff Koons' Annenberg Lecture at The Whitney Museum.
On how long it takes to create a piece…
"If I start something, I started thinking about it two years ago."
On how viewers interact with his exhibitions…
"The art is about the viewer's potential."
On how his father influenced his work…
"We would put a 12-foot Christmas tree in the center of our spiral staircase, and my dad would dust each glass ornament. My dad wasn't a perfectionist in a negative light. He just had vision. He taught me how to pursue a vision."
On "creating" art…
"You can't create art. In the end it just becomes a decorative process. It gets so boring."
On his process of inspiration…
"My process of being inspired is very intuitive. I'm constantly following my interest."
On the Balloon Venus sculpture…
"The sculpture plays off of masculinity and femininity. It is intended to bring everything together. But then, you see the voluptuous breasts, and then all of a sudden they can be testicles. It can reproduce on its own."
On different styles of art…
"I'm thrilled by how real art is. The reality of art has a presence that can deal with time on its own."
On the idea of newness…
"Everything is brand new. I used brand new vacuum cleaners so that they would be prepared to survive. They're so new that they're pre-new, in a sense."
On how his art gets communicated to the masses…
"I feel like my work is more permeated than I thought. I want to make art that empowers others."
On the inspiration behind his Play-Doh piece…
