Jeff Koons will return to Gagosian next month with “The Porcelain Series,” his first solo show at the gallery since “Easyfun-Ethereal” in 2018 and his first major exhibition in New York in seven years. The exhibition, which opens on November 13 at 541 West 24th Street, marks the first time Koons will exclusively display his “porcelain” works—recent sculptures and paintings that trace the continuum of beauty and mythology through the centuries.
Koons left Gagosian Gallery after nearly two decades at the gallery, while David Zwirner joined Pace in 2021. He moved to Pest with the intention of concentrating on new works and modes of production, but did not subsequently hold a full-scale exhibition in New York. After three years of collaboration with Pace Koons, he rejoined Gagosian in 2025 and debuted new work at Frieze New York in May this year.
Koons’ tenure at Pace was short and reportedly tumultuous. 2024, Art Network News Columnist Kenny Schachter writes that a new series of porcelain-inspired sculptures—ambitious even by Koons’ standards—has pushed the gallery into troubling financial territory. Pace attracted outside investors and poured tens of millions of dollars into manufacturing before the project stalled due to cost overruns, according to Schachter. When funding dried up, Koons soon left the gallery.
His critical and commercial standing has declined in recent years. Although rabbit (1986) still holds the record as the most expensive work sold by a living artist, but his sales have slowed and public attention has waned. still, Art Network News It was reported last year that several well-connected collectors and dealers had been quietly working to help revive his market.
Modeled after statues from the 18th to early 20th centuries, these “porcelain” sculptures are made of mirror-polished stainless steel painted with transparent colors and depict mythological figures such as Diana and Venus as well as animals and lovers. The accompanying paintings blend landscapes, gestural brushstrokes, and metallic floating leaves with prints by Agostino Carracci, Marcantonio Raimondi, and John Sadler.
“this Porcelain series “It is in dialogue with art from ancient times to the present day,” Koons said in a statement.
