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There tends to be a tendency to judge art that is evocative, modern, and controversial on the basis of every aspect aside from the art itself. In 1986 article in the Journal of Contemporary Art, the artist and sculptor Jeff Koons stated one of the main themes of his art: "The basic story line is about art leaving the realm of the artist, when the artist loses control of the work."

Weigh this statement against, say, a lifesize porcelain ceramic of Michael Jackson holding his monkey Bubbles that sold at Sotheby's for over $5-million, and it is not hard to see why some may construe Koons' artwork as overrated. A lot of Koons' work is conceptual, and causes many including myself to kind of scratch at our heads and shrug. Trying to instill timeless meaning into, for example, "Three Ball 50/50 Tank" - a sculpture that contains three basketballs suspended in a fish tank, may make the admirer sound as pretentious as the work itself.

And, clearly, this may be the point. Koons may be overrated simply because he exists in the art world as an eccentric among many. Beyond the price tags and the high profile, Koons himself agrees that he is an artist for art's sake, and is as interested in the morality of artist as he is in the effect of the art work.

Part of his appeal lies in bashing down stereotypes of high art by using elements of low art, e.g., puppy dogs, balloon animals, etc. Koons uses the media of the outside world to define his own artwork. This in and of itself is not extraordinary. Think about it: Nike airs a commercial where a basketball star uses the shoe and puts on an extraordinary show. The person viewing the ad directly or indirectly buys the shoe as a result of the commercial. This is defining yourself through and because of the media. Koons does this more explicitly in his artwork, and this is where the value of his art lies. In this sense, even the price tag can be considered part of the art.

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