Jeff Koons/Versailles

Saturday morning, we took the train to Versailles.  There is a Jeff Koons exhibit we want to check out.  I have been reading about the controversy of exhibiting Koons's work in the Palace at Versailles, one of the most treasured sites in all of France.  But, when you see it in person, it all kind of makes sense.

Jeff Koons is exactly the kind of artist Louis XIV would collect if he were around today!  The amount of shiny, expensive kitsch that the sun king amassed is quite impressive.  Koons work takes that concept to the next level.  Some of the placements of pieces was inspired.  The huge blue chrome balloon in the hall of mirrors, for example.  Or the giant pink balloon animal in the stately greeting hall.  So much of Koons's work is about reflectivity and looking at the setting bouncing off the polished surfaces.

The audacity of it all was almost breathtaking.  Who else could get away with creating a ten-toot tall porcelain statue of Michael Jackson and his pet chimp Bubbles?