Hanging Heart by contemporary artist Jeff Koons © 2008 Bo Mackison

We went to Chicago this weekend and visited the Museum of Contemporary Art which is running a Jeff Koons’ exhibit. It began May 31 and runs through September 21.

Hanging Heart, which is fabricated from stainless steel, has a transparent blue coating and a silver ribbon, and hangs in the entrance hallway of the museum. Unfortunately, it was the only photo I could take as there is a no photography restriction in the galleries themselves. But I loved the exhibit – it was bold and bright and sent a clear message on Koons’ take on society. The tour was certainly well worth the 45 minutes it took, and free so the cost was right.

The heart is made in 5 unique versions (red/gold, magenta/gold, silver/blue, violet/gold, gold/red). The sculptures were fabricated between the years 1994-2006 and each one measures 106 x 85 x 40 inches. It also weighs one and a half tons so I chose not to stand directly underneath it. Yep, cowardly. That’s me!

The blue heart recently sold for a cool 23 million dollars.

Billboard featuring Jeff Koon’s Balloon Dog

Sixty pieces fill two huge exhibit halls and include works from all of his major series.

Koons’ site features his work, biography and artist’s statement.