Jeff Koons is an American artist, who is known for working with popular culture subjects and his reproductions of banal objects, such as balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror-finished surfaces. He lives and works in both New York City and his hometown of York, Pennsylvania.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Jeff Koons made his Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in the 2007 Parade, with a balloon based on his 1986 sculpture, Rabbit. Koons was the second-ever artist inducted into the Blue Sky Gallery series of balloons, a collection of high-flying artwork created in collaboration with renowned contemporary artists.
Koons' 41-inch tall sculpture was transformed into a 53-by-26 foot inflatable, and crafted out of a new reflective nylon fabric commissioned by the Macy's Parade Studio to evoke the shiny look of the real-life sculpture.[1] He later commented on the balloon's appearance in a 2009 interview, saying "As it moves through the environment, it is reflective, so it takes on its surroundings. The blue of the sky, the green grass, the crowd. It is always changing. It recognizes the situation it is in. That's what we want to do in life: Recognize the moment."[2]
The Rabbit balloon made only one appearance in the lineup, and was retired shortly after the 2007 procession had ended.
Despite the balloon's retirement, it would make several public appearances at contemporary art events throughout 2009. Notable appearances for the 'Rabbit' balloon include "Nuit Blanche" at Toronto's Eaton Center (making it the only Macy's balloon to fly in Canada) and Covent Garden in central London to celebrate the Tate Museum's newest exhibit, "Pop Life: Art in a Material World."
The 'Rabbit' balloon was last confirmed to exist in November 2016, through a balloon inventory chart.[3]
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