Jeff Koons

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 1988
Christie's, New York, 27 February 1992, lot 110
Acquired by the present owners from the above

cf. Hans Werner Holzwarth, Katy Siegel, Ingrid Sischy and Eckhard Schneider, Jeff Koons, Taschen, 2009, pp. 140-180 (other basketball posters from the same series illustrated in the Equilibrium installation of 1985)

This work is in very good condition overall. The work is printed to the sheet's edges. Adhered verso to mount in places around the edges resulting in some buckling around the edges, barely conspicuous. Framed under Plexiglas. Not examined out of the frame, the sheet is entirely visible.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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As part of his Equilibrium series, Koons' appropriated basketball posters were included in his seminal exhibition at International With Monument in 1985.  This show, Koons' solo debut, included framed Nike advertising posters, tanks of basketballs semi-submerged in water, and bronze sculptures depicting inflatable vests, snorkels, scuba tanks and a lifeboat.  Together, the works construct a narrative exploring life, death and ambition. The posters reflect Koons' way of using ready-made consumer material to comment not only on the American consumer culture, but also on the limited social-mobility of African-American youth.  Koons referred to the athletes in the posters as "sirens," suggesting that success and celebrity are easily attainable when, in fact, that reality is remote for young African-American men.

"The posters are not a background. It's a trinity. You have your tools for equilibrium which are the bronzes, you have the tanks which are an ultimate state of being, you have your sirens. The framing was very important. I spent a lot of time choosing the material and the color. I flew out to Nike in Beaverton, Oregon, and got all the posters. Mine came out in an edition of two." [Hans Werner Holzwarth, Katy Siegel, Ingrid Sischy and Eckhard Schneider, Jeff Koons, Taschen, 2009, p. 172]