From 2 October 2021 Palazzo Strozzi will host a new major exhibition dedicated to Jeff Koons, one of the most important and discussed figures in contemporary art globally. Curated by Arturo Galansino and Joachim Pissarro, the exhibition brings to Florence a selection of the most famous works by an artist who, from the mid-1970s to today, has revolutionized the international art system.

Developed in close dialogue with the artist, the Jeff Koons exhibition. Shine hosts loans from the most important collections and major international museums, proposing as an original interpretation of Koons' art the concept of shine intended as a game of ambiguity between splendor and glow, being and appearing.

The protagonists are works that tell the story of over 40 years of career, from the famous perfectly polished metal sculptures that replicate luxury objects, such as the Baccarat Crystal Set (1986) or the iconic inflatable toys such as the famous Rabbit (1986) and Balloon Dog (Red) (1994-2000), up to the re-interpretation of pop culture characters such as Hulk (Tubas) (2004-2018), or to the re-invention of the idea of ready-made with the use of everyday objects such as One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Spalding Dr. JK 241 Series) (1985).

Author of works that have entered the collective imagination thanks to the ability to combine high and popular culture, from refined references to art history to quotes from the world of consumerism, Koons finds in the idea of shine a key principle of his innovative sculptures and installations that aim to question our relationship with reality but also the very concept of a work of art. For Koons, the meaning of the term shine is something that goes beyond a mere idea of decoration or embellishment and becomes an intrinsic element of his art. Equipped with a reflective property, his works increase our metaphysical perception of time and space, of surface and depth, of materiality and immaterial.