The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) in Canberra has unveiled what could be the most valuable artwork ever donated to its collection. The piece, titled "Balloon Venus Dolni Vestonice (Yellow)," created between 2013 and 2017 by renowned American artist Jeff Koons, is a nearly ten-foot-tall polished stainless steel sculpture that transforms an ancient fertility symbol into contemporary art.
The monumental sculpture draws inspiration from a small mammoth ivory artifact dating back approximately 45,000 years that depicted fertility and the human form. Koons has reimagined this prehistoric Venus figure as a shiny, reflective balloon sculpture, creating what he describes as a collision between ancient history and the present day.
While NGA Director Nick Mitzevich declined to specify the artwork's exact value when asked if it could be worth around $20 million, he acknowledged that Koons' works regularly sell for such amounts and beyond. "The value is really set by the market, and as a gift, we don't really comment on the price," Mitzevich explained. "But Jeff Koons's artworks sell up to that price and beyond – He is the highest selling living artist in the world today."
Mitzevich emphasized that the sculpture's true significance lies in its artistic meaning rather than its monetary worth. "The work, for me, references art history. It references a fertility object from about 45,000 years ago, and I love that he is always thinking about art history," he said. "And he gives it a 21st-century approach by turning a fertility object, a Venus, into a balloon sculpture. So, he collides history and the present."
The gallery director praised Koons as "a magician with materials" who "takes everyday objects and makes them special and makes us think about the world and the things around us." The sculpture is part of Koons' five-piece "Antiquity" series of balloon sculptures, each featuring different colors but requiring years of meticulous craftsmanship to complete. The other pieces in the series are currently displayed in galleries around the world.
In his statement about the donation, Jeff Koons expressed his satisfaction that "Balloon Venus" would be accessible to the public through the national collection. "Art is within the viewer; it's about your essence and your own potential," Koons explained. "Anybody coming to the national gallery, looking at Balloon Venus, is going to see this work is about them."
The artist specifically chose the metallic, reflective surface to create an interactive experience for viewers. "I always enjoyed working with a metallic surface because it reflects us and affirms us," Koons noted. "Whatever [the viewer is] thinking about, if they're feeling a sense of connection to memory and history, this is the art they're experiencing – and when they leave the room, the art leaves with them."
The sculpture was generously donated by collectors Steve and Kylie Shelley, who stated in their announcement: "Koons' work sparks conversation and curiosity and we believe it belongs in a public collection." Their gift represents one of two major acquisitions the NGA has received in recent months.
Earlier this year, the gallery also received another significant donation when philanthropist Geoff Ainsworth contributed Edvard Munch's "Man with Horse" to the national collection. "In the last six months, we've made two extraordinary acquisitions of artists that have really been influential over the last 150 years," Director Mitzevich observed.
The NGA director encouraged visitors to form their own opinions about these controversial and thought-provoking works. "We put the most extraordinary works in front of the public and ask them to think about it and have a dialogue with us," he said. The Jeff Koons sculpture is now permanently on display at the National Gallery of Australia, where visitors can experience firsthand the artist's unique blend of ancient inspiration and contemporary craftsmanship.
