Jeff Koons’ seminal sculpture Balloon Monkey (Magenta) (2006-13) sold for £10,136,500 at Christie’s raising vital funds for humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Presented for sale by Victor and Olena Pinchuk, proceeds from the sale will be used to assist soldiers and civilians gravely wounded by war who urgently require prosthetics, medical treatment, and rehabilitation to recover as much quality of life as possible*.
Representing childhood innocence and joy for both children and adults alike, Balloon Monkey (Magenta) stands as a monumental symbol of hope and solidarity with those men, women, and children living in war-torn Ukraine who have suffered a terrible loss.
“As the war in Ukraine continues, wreaking devastation across the country, I could not be more honored to have worked with Victor and Olena Pinchuk on the sale of Jeff Koons’ seminal sculpture Balloon Monkey (Magenta), to realize a total of £10,136,500. The largest and final piece in the artist’s celebrated series of balloon animals, it stands as a gleaming symbol of solidarity. The balloon animal reminds us that the ordinary course of life and its simple pleasures are absent from the lives of those living through war.”
Katharine Arnold, Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, Christie’s Europe
