
Jeff Koons, Michael Jackson and Bubbles, 1988, porcelain, 42 x 70 1/2 x 32 1/2".
Basel
Jeff Koons
Fondation Beyeler
Baselstrasse 101
May 13–September 2
Curated by Sam Keller and Theodora Vischer
Though Jeff Koons is certainly no stranger to Basel, this summer the Fondation Beyeler offers Switzerland its very firstbelieve it or notmuseum presentation of the art-world icon’s work. It’s possible that the shock value climaxes with this fact, however, as, within these tasteful precincts, no pieces from the fractious and fascinating “Made in Heaven” seriesartist and porn-star paramour in flagrante delicto, immortalized in miscellaneous sculptures and bemusingly pimply photographswill be offered for public view. But the ready- made vacuum cleaners (“The New,” 1980–87), hypertrophied figurines (“Banality,” 1988), and gargantuan polished-steel balloons (“Celebration,” 1994–) on which Sam Keller and Theodora Vischer will focus should provide essential coordinates, showcasing Koons’s abiding love of kitsch and his Willy Wonka–ish knack for creating fantastical confections with industrial production techniques. What could be more Swiss?