Renowned contemporary artist Jeff Koons is set to return to Gagosian Gallery next month with his highly anticipated exhibition "Porcelain Series," marking his first solo show at the prestigious gallery since 2018's "Easyfun-Ethereal" and his first major New York exhibition in seven years. The show, opening November 13 at Gagosian's 541 West 24th Street location, represents Koons's first dedicated presentation of his ambitious Porcelain works, featuring new and recent sculptures and paintings that explore the continuity of beauty and mythology across centuries.
Koons's relationship with Gagosian has been marked by significant changes over the past several years. For nearly two decades, he was among Gagosian's marquee artists before making a surprising departure in 2021 to join both David Zwirner and later Pace Gallery. His move to Pace was initially positioned as an opportunity to focus on innovative new work and production models, but no full-scale New York exhibition materialized during his time there. After spending three years with Pace, Koons rejoined Gagosian in 2025, making his return debut with new work at Frieze New York this past May.
The artist's brief tenure at Pace Gallery was reportedly fraught with challenges and financial complications. According to art market columnist Kenny Schachter writing for Artnet News in 2024, Koons's new body of porcelain-inspired sculptures proved to be exceptionally ambitious even by his own high standards, ultimately pushing the gallery into uncomfortable financial territory. Pace had reportedly brought on outside investors and invested tens of millions of dollars into fabrication costs before the project encountered significant cost overruns and eventually stalled. When funding for the project dried up, Koons departed the gallery shortly thereafter.
The timing of this exhibition comes at a crucial moment for Koons's career, as his critical and commercial standing has experienced some cooling in recent years. While his iconic "Rabbit" sculpture from 1986 continues to hold the record as the most expensive artwork ever sold by a living artist, his overall sales have slowed considerably, and public attention has waned compared to his peak years. However, Artnet News reported last year that several well-connected collectors and dealers have been quietly working behind the scenes to help revive and stabilize his market position.
The centerpiece Porcelain sculptures featured in the upcoming exhibition are meticulously modeled after 18th- to early 20th-century figurines and depict classical mythological figures including Diana and Venus, alongside various animals and romantic lovers rendered in Koons's signature mirror-polished stainless steel and coated with transparent color. The exhibition also includes accompanying oil paintings that masterfully merge landscapes, gestural brushwork, and metallic leafing with historical engravings by renowned artists Agostino Carracci, Marcantonio Raimondi, and Johann Sadeler.
"The Porcelain Series is in dialogue with art from ancient times through history to this moment," Koons explained in an official statement about the exhibition. This return to Gagosian represents not only a homecoming for one of contemporary art's most recognizable figures but also a potential turning point in his career trajectory, as the art world watches to see whether this new body of work can reignite the commercial and critical success that has defined much of his decades-long career.
