A major presentation of Jeff Koons’ works is currently on display in Japan. Titled Jeff Koons: Paintings and Banality – Selected Works from the Collection, the exhibition runs from February 20th to July 5th, 2026, at Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka. Bringing together key pieces from the 1980s through the 2000s, the show offers a focused look at the evolution of the artist’s visual language and his enduring exploration of value, beauty, and popular culture.
Organized as part of the Fondation Louis Vuitton’s Hors-les-murs programme, the exhibition also marks the 20th anniversary of the Espaces Louis Vuitton and the 10th anniversary of the international initiative, which presents works from the Collection across global venues.
Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka: from readymades to icons
At Espace Louis Vuitton Osaka, the exhibition traces Koons’s rise in the mid-1980s, when he first gained recognition for displaying everyday consumer goods as art. A seminal example included in the show is Three Ball 50/50 Tank (1985), featuring basketballs suspended in glass tanks—symbols of the American Dream elevated to sculptural status.
The presentation also highlights the pivotal Jeff Koons’ Banality series of 1988. Works such as Woman in Tub and Wild Boy and Puppy demonstrate how Koons fused cartoon imagery, sentimental motifs, and personal memory into highly polished sculptures. In these pieces, the artist deliberately blurs distinctions between high art and mass culture, transforming kitsch into objects of technical mastery.
Monumental paintings and reflective surfaces
Moving into Koons’s later career, the exhibition showcases his large-scale paintings, from The Bracelet (1995–1998) to works from the Hulk Elvis series, including Landscape (Tree) II and Monkey Train (Birds) (2007). These monumental canvases layer disparate visual elements into dense, collage-like compositions, reflecting the image-saturated reality of contemporary life.
A recurring theme throughout the exhibition is viewer participation. Reflective surfaces—seen in works such as Little Girl (1988)—invite visitors to see themselves mirrored within the artwork, becoming part of the composition. Through trompe-l’œil effects, luminous finishes, and meticulous craftsmanship, Koons transforms seemingly trivial imagery into an immersive aesthetic experience.
Across its sections, Paintings and Banality reveals how, for more than four decades, Koons has redefined the ordinary as extraordinary. By elevating the banal, he challenges audiences to reconsider the symbolic and emotional weight of everyday objects—turning familiarity into a space for reflection, pleasure, and cultural dialogue.
Courtesy of JEFF KOONS and FONDATION LOUIS VUITTON, Paris
Photography by JÉRÉMIE SOUTEYRAT / LOUIS VUITTON
