Neverland Evermore

Jeff Koons - Michael Jackson and Bubbles, 1988

The mysterious collective commonly known as “They”, say that one should nurture the child within. I do this often. Especially at FAO Schwartz in New York, where I can happily rummage for hours. My Barbie bubble only bursts momentarily when I realize that the Dorothy ruby costume slippers do not come in my size. At this stage I generally head back to Bergdorf’s to see what Monsieur Louboutin has to offer. Even there, just like most women amongst the froth of sexy shoes, I am still a little girl in a sweet shop. Men may claim to be from Mars, but having recently witnessed my boyfriend, Panda’s recent elation over remote control helicopters in Harrods toy department, I can confirm Mars and Venus are walking distance apart.

Perhaps the most notorious eternal child this side of the industrial revolution, was the late Michael Jackson. Being said to ‘live in your own world’ is usually a joke, unless you happen to call a private, sprawling amusement park with a bed in it, home. Naming it ‘Neverland’ and yourself ‘Peter Pan’ helps further convince yourself of the illusion. A certain playfulness in life is beneficial, a great liberator of creativity, as is evident from Jackson’s incredible musical legacy.

With great creative success comes great wealth, at least in Jackson’s case. So if you are the King of Pop why not literally, live like a king? The playful opulence of Michael Jackson’s lifestyle can only be compared to the infamous Kings of France, particularly Louis XIV and XVI. It seems so appropriate for Jeff Koons’ life size, gilded sculpture of MJ and his pet monkey Bubbles, to have been exhibited in the grandeur of the Versailles Palace in 2008.  All that magnificence and isolation. Forget gilded cages, this one is solid gold. In both cases. Though MJ would have had more in common with Marie Antoinette. She too created her own amusement park, designed like a luxe Normandy village, where she dressed up in silk shepherdess costumes.

Koons’ sculpture of Jackson also alludes to the gold death masks of Egyptian pharaohs such as Tutankhamen, the pet animal a classic status symbol in portrayals of monarchs, in many cases they were also buried with their masters. The pose however is more akin to ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, though the ceramic finish is much more fragile. Is Koons alluding to the fragility of fame today or the individual depicted? Ask Koons and, rather like Warhol, he claims that there is nothing beyond the surface of his work, they are just ‘happy’ pieces. Though for all their jolly ornateness, one can’t help feeling something suggesting more ominous truths.

 "Jetset Violet"