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From his giant puppies to his sculpture of Michael Jackson and pet monkey, Jeff Koons has never failed to raise the level of controversy in the art world. Here is a guy who, at one time, worked as a security guard at a major New York City art museum, and now commands top dollar for his own artwork. Collectors and museums alike have fought to own a work of Jeff Koons.

Yet many people look at many of his artwork (for example, his silver rabbit sculpture) and wonder, how can a guy like this be called an artist? Is it really art? "I could have done that" is a frequent complaint heard when Jeff Koons's work is featured in an art gallery or museum.

Those who makes such comments, however, should remember that many said the same thing of Andy Warhol's Campbell soup cans or Jasper Johns's targets and flags or Roy Lichtenstein's comic book images. Much like these Pop Art dynamos, as well as many more contemporary masters, Koons's work is more than merely what's "in the eye of the beholder." If the art world only accepted that which was in vogue at the time of its creation and had never been criticized, something as mainstream as the paintings of the Impressionists would never be hanging in an art museum today, instead of fetching record prices at art auctions. Van Gogh, today one of the world's most beloved artists, never sold a painting in his lifetime (except to his brother Theo).

This raises the point that what's modern and contemporary is bound to exact criticism and complaint. For good reason as well. Contemporary art necessarily holds a mirror up to society, reflecting back its faults. In modern times, that mirror frequently reflects back a consumer society that is fixated on a celebrity culture, something that Jeff Koons has captured masterfully in his work. Liike them or not, the work of Koons closely mirrors the ideas of greats such as Warhol.

Jeff Koons, in that respect, is on a par with old masters like Van Gogh, Picasso, and Dali, whose paintings and sculptures reflected the European societies in which they created their art. His work is even more closely aligned to contemporary stars like Warhol, Dine, Lichtenstein, and Johns. Like all of these artists, Jeff Koons and the artwork he produces are a result of the society in which he exists, and his work reflects that back to his audience.

At first glance, his art may seem senseless and worthy of bitter criticism, some may even say trivial. However, given the backdrop of the milieu and society in which Koons is producing, his artwork makes a very powerful statement indeed.

Learn more about this author, Christine Zibas.
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