Smithsonian Journeys Dispatches

For Valentine’s Day: Hanging Heart, Jeff Koons


Hanging Heart, Jeff Koons, as displayed at the Palazzo Grassi during the 2007 Venice Biennale.

We are all mesmerized by Jeff Koons' Hanging Heart which sold at Sotheby's for $27 million, and which is one of five versions he created for his "Celebration" series. This 3500 pound piece is powerful, well-crafted, and nine-feet tall, and it is made of chromium stainless steel coated with ten layers of painta true hanging wonder.

Next to Koons' Balloon Flower, Balloon Dog, or Puppy (which once graced the entrance of the Guggenheim Bilbao), the Hanging Heart represents the embodiment of love and serves as a reminder that there is a child in all of us.