Art In the Age of Koons

On the occasion of Jeff Koons: A Retrospective, this course will explore the connections between Koons’s work and that of his contemporaries as well as examine his sizable impact on a generation of younger artists emerging today. Widely regarded as one of the most important and controversial artists of the last thirty years, Koons has pioneered new approaches to the readymade, challenged the limits of industrial fabrication, and transformed the relationship of artists to the global market. This course will situate these themes in Koons’s career in relation to artistic movements from Pop to postmodernism and will conclude with a look at his influence on current artistic practices that are transforming these issues yet again. The course will include a special session with associate curator Christopher Lew.

Instructor: Jennie Goldstein, a Joan Tisch Teaching Fellow at the Whitney since 2011, is currently a Ph.D. candidate in art history at Stony Brook University where she studies late modern and contemporary art. Her area of focus is on intersections of visual art and dance, and her in-progress dissertation, “Moving Bodies, Moving Things: Convergences of Art and Dance, 1960–1975,” reveals historical underpinnings for the recent surge in dance in museums. Prior to pursuing her doctorate she worked as a curatorial assistant and senior curatorial assistant at the Whitney, where she contributed to many exhibitions and publications.

Four Thursdays: September 18; October 2, 9, and 16
Morning Session: 9:30–11 am
Afternoon session: 1:30–3 pm 

This program is fully registered. For general inquiries and information related to the course, please email courses@whitney.org.