source:sartlecom
This strange sculpture is a combination of innocent naiveté and raunchy voyeuristic delight…if you’re into bestiality, that is. In this cartoon come to life, a topless Jayne Mansfield (70s actress and Playboy Playmate) is literally and figuratively feeling her feline friend. Half naked, passionately embracing the kitty, so-to-speak, Mansfield fulfills one of Koons-y’s favorite artistic strategies: capitalizing on recognizable celebrities in order to sell art.

Quite the celebrity at this point himself, Koons’ notorious work is said to marry kitsch pop culture and art-world elitism. Are you buying it? Someone at a Sotheby’s auction did for a cool $16 million…which was lower than the projected price if you can believe it. Poor Jeff had some legal fees to pay, too. As you might imagine, the creators of the Pink Panther were none too thrilled with this cat’s XXX debut. As Inspector Clouseau might say, “Merde!”

Personally, I think the statue looks like a cheesy figurine you might find in your pervy uncle’s rec room. This perhaps is the point. In any case, take your kids to see this one at your own risk.
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source:heartwolfcom
‘Pink Panther’ is an iconic 1988 sculpture by Jeff Koons, depicting a sensual woman holding the Pink Panther cartoon character. The work will be auctioned at Sotheby’s New York on 10 May 2011, and it is estimated to fetch $20/30 million.

On November 16, 1999, Jeff Koons’ ‘Pink Panther’ was offered for sale at Christie’s New York with a pre-sale estimate of $800,000. The work finally sold for $1,817,500, more than 4 times the previous auction record for a work by Koons. About a decade later, the same work comes back to the market, and might fetch $30 million. Crisis? Who said crisis?

Tobias Meyer, Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s, says that “together with ‘Balloon Dog’ and ‘Bunny’, ‘Pink Panther’ is a 20th-century masterpiece and one of the most iconic sculptures of Jeff Koons’s oeuvre”. In a press note, Sotheby’s describes the work as “a masterpiece not only of the artist’s historic canon, but also of the epoch of recent Contemporary Art”.

Arguably the loveliest work from Koons’ famous ‘Banality’ series, the 41 inches high porcelain ‘Pink Panther’ has it all to become a superstar of the art market season. Erotism and cartoons: who needs more? OK, it is as kitsch as kitsch can be; but, such as Damien Hirst’s ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’, Koons’ ‘Pink Panther’ is one of those works that you may like or may not like, but there is no arguing that they will become a symbol of the art of our days.
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source:trendhuntercom
If you’re an avid collector of rare and high-profile artworks, then you might want to seize the opportunity to get your hands on an extremely rare original of Jeff Koons’ Pink Panther sculpture.

As one of only three ever made by the celebrated artist, this unusual tribute to the iconic Pink Panther made in 1988 is set to go up for auction as a part of Sotheby’s upcoming contemporary art sale. Jeff Koons’ Pink Panther sculpture features a half-naked blond woman holding the cartoon Panther in a somewhat awkward embrace, but there is nothing hesitant or uncertain about the excitement that the piece’s upcoming auction is generating with some experts estimating that it could sell for upwards of $30 million.

No matter how much it sells for, one thing is definitely certain: Jeff Koons’ Pink Panther sculpture will never be as priceless as Peter Seller’s portrayal of Inspector Clouseau in the hilarious Pink Panther film franchise.