Jeff Koons at the Château de Versailles

As if Versailles weren't over the top enough, here comes an exhibit of 17 Koons sculptures to mess with our minds. French conservatives are already protesting the invasion of ultra-modernity in the former hunting lodge turned palace by Louis XIV. He'd probably be fascinated.

I used to scratch my head in wonder at Koons' work until I actually saw his exhibits in person. They are bigger than life, banal, exquisitely crafted objects of junk we don't think about, but thanks to him, now we do. Vacuum cleaners, balloon animals, resin figurines, all get our undivided attention when made large and lustrous; sculpted with stainless steel, porcelain, and wood, hand-carved by Italian artisans.

Here's some musical accompaniment for a set of photos from the exhibit.











Why is this man smiling? Because he makes 43-feet high puppies out of flowering plants and he's incredibly fucking wealthy. Photos from Getty Images, Reuters, AP.