Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons 'Puppy'. Kaldor Project

Driving over the Cahil Expressway I reflected on the MCA and the visit by Jeff Koons. In 1995 ( in the midst of an acrimonious divorce from Cicciolina! ) Koons designed and installed a 12.4m tall representation of a West Highland White Terrier puppy. To some people it was kitsch at best, to others playful and inspired. To the nursery owners of Sydney it must have been quite a boon as it required up to sixty thousand plants to fill it. A rumour exists that some 'scallywags' ( a favourite word employed by my grandmother) had placed some marijuana seeds in the installation and that they were unceremoniously removed upon being discovered. To those who criticised it at the time I suggest a quick visit to the works of Damian Hirst. You could have a shark in formaldehyde, a scull covered in diamonds, or even a vacuum cleaner. I think I'll stick with 'Puppy". At least his legacy lives on in the grounds outside the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.