Marble
Portraits
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
ARTIST ROOMS
National Heritage Memorial Fund
Art Fund
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jeff-koons-2368" aria-label="More by Jeff Koons" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Jeff Koons</a>
Bourgeois Bust  Jeff and Ilona
ARTIST ROOMS
Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
actions: expressive
adults
Aphrodite / Venus
banality
classical myths: gods and heroes
embracing
emotions and human qualities
emotions, concepts and ideas
fine arts and music
humour
individuals: female
Koons, Jeff
love
man
marriage
named individuals
objects
people
portraits
religion and belief
sculpture, Baroque
self-portraits
sex and relationships
society
Staller, Illona, ‘La Cicciolina’
universal concepts
woman
sculpture marble
1 October 2009 – 19 September 2010
2010-09-19
1 October 2009 – 17 January 2010
2010-01-17
2009-10-01
Tate Modern (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/
2009-10-01
Pop Life: Art in a Material World
Exhibition
1 March 2010 – 15 September 2010
2010-09-15
1 October 2009 – 17 January 2010
2010-01-17
2009-10-01
Tate Modern (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/
6 February 2010 – 9 May 2010
2010-05-09
2010-02-06
Hamburger Kunsthalle (Hamburg, Germany)
http://www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de
11 June 2010 – 15 September 2010
2010-09-15
2010-06-11
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, Canada)
http://www.national.gallery.ca/
2010-03-01
Pop Life: Art in a Material World
Loan-out
19 March 2011 – 3 July 2011
2011-07-03
19 March 2011 – 3 July 2011
2011-07-03
2011-03-19
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Edinburgh, UK)
http://www.nationalgalleries.org/
2011-03-19
ARTIST ROOMS Jeff Koons
Collection based display
11 May 2013 – 8 September 2013
2013-09-08
11 May 2013 – 8 September 2013
2013-09-08
2013-05-11
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery (Brighton, UK)
http://www.brighton.virtualmuseum.info
2013-05-11
ARTIST ROOMS 2013: Jeff Koons
Loan-out
9 May 2015 – 6 September 2015
2015-09-06
9 May 2015 – 6 September 2015
2015-09-06
2015-05-09
Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery (Norwich, UK)
http://www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk
2015-05-09
ARTIST ROOMS 2015: Jeff Koons
Loan-out
4 May 2021 – 18 October 2021
2021-10-18
4 May 2021 – 18 October 2021
2021-10-18
2021-05-04
Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (Marseille, France)
2021-05-04
Jeff Koons
Loan-out
Bourgeois Bust - Jeff and Ilona
object: 1190 × 745 × 580 mm
displayed: 1950 × 745 × 580 mm
<a href="/search?gid=999999788" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">ARTIST ROOMS</a>
Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the <a href="/search?gid=999999967" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">National Heritage Memorial Fund</a> and the <a href="/search?gid=999999968" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Art Fund</a> 2008
<p>'Bourgeois Bust' was originally created for the 'Made in Heaven' exhibition, in which Jeff Koons explored the concept of love in relation to his own marriage to porn star Ilona Staller. Represented as a marble portrait bust, the couple are depicted within a traditional Baroque style that drew its inspiration from antique classical sculpture. With her plaited hair and string of pearls, Staller appears like Venus, the Greek goddess of love. Declaring sensationally "We’ve become God", their spiritual and physical union seemingly elevates the pair to a higher realm of idealised existence and ecstasy.</p>

Online caption
2009-04-16T00:00:00
online-caption
ONLINE_CAPTION
actions: expressive adults Aphrodite / Venus banality classical myths: gods and heroes embracing emotions and human qualities emotions, concepts and ideas fine arts and music humour individuals: female Koons, Jeff love man marriage named individuals objects people portraits religion and belief sculpture, Baroque self-portraits sex and relationships society Staller, Illona, ‘La Cicciolina’ universal concepts woman