Latest news with #JeffKoons'
Epoch Times
02-07-2025
- Epoch Times
Pancakes Perfect for a Sweet-Loving Dad on Father's Day
Every morning, I sip my coffee from a mug acquired on a vacation. Sometimes I'm in a buoyant mood. The porcelain cup displaying Jeff Koons' 'Puppy' at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao does the trick. The tall black mug from Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame definitely sets a tone for the day. Souvenir mugs from Hawaii recall sunshine and delicious memories. I gather recipe ideas on those travels like keepsakes too. For example, one bite of banana cream pie pancakes on the menu at Cinnamon's Restaurant in Kailua, on the island of Oahu, rendered them worthy of recreating at home.
Hypebeast
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Jeff Koons' 37-Foot 'Split-Rocker' to Blossom at LACMA
Summary After stops at Versailles and Rockefeller Center,Jeff Koons' 37-foot-tallSplit-Rockerwill call the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) its permanent home. Gifted to the museum by art collectors Lynda and Stewart Resnick, the large-scale artist proof will be planted outside the new David Geffen galleries later this year, and will anchor the new outdoor public art program integral to LACMA's freshly completed expansion. Koons marries two halves of children's toys for the flower-forward piece – his son's rocking belonging to his son and a dinosaur – evoking the cartoonish, nostalgic charm at the heart of his most famed works. Planted in its metal skeleton are 50,000 native succulents, perennials, annuals and other blooms. According to theLos Angeles Times, the acquisition and attuning ofSplit-Rockerwas years in the making, as Koons and LACMA consulted a team of local horticulturalists for the selection of drought-tolerant flowers fit for the SoCal climate. The Peter Zumthor-designed Geffen Galleries, which will house the museum's permanent collection, include a new building and outdoor spaces spanning 3.5 acres across both sides of Wilshire Houlevard. Additional works to look forward to feature the likes of Diana Thater, Mariana Castillo Deball, Liz Glynn, Pedro Reyes and more. Split-Rockerwill be seeded later this summer with hopes to be fully bloomed by next April. In the meantime, Kamasi Washington and his 100-person ensemble are taking over the 110,000-square-feet Geffen galleries for a run of performances on June 26-28. Head to the museum'swebsitefor more details.
Los Angeles Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Jeff Koons outdoor sculpture ‘Split-Rocker' will anchor LACMA's new building
A new acquisition has bloomed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which is expected to announce Monday that Jeff Koons' monumental topiary sculpture 'Split-Rocker' will anchor the east side of the campus at the new David Geffen Galleries building. The 37-foot-tall living sculpture, created in 2000, is designed to nurture more than 50,000 flowering plants and will be seeded in August with the hope that it will be fully established by April, when architect Peter Zumthor's new poured concrete building is scheduled to open to the public. 'I couldn't be more thrilled than to have a piece of floral work in Los Angeles where — horticulturally — there's such a wide variety of plants that can be used in its creation,' Koons said in a phone interview from his New York studio. 'I hope people going back and forth on Wilshire Boulevard, and people visiting the museum, are able to enjoy and experience the change in the piece.' The acquisition and continued maintenance of 'Split-Rocker' was paid for by the foundation of longtime LACMA donors and Koons supporters Lynda and Stewart Resnick. It's been in the works for years, during which time LACMA and Koons consulted with a team of area horticulturalists who zeroed in on which plants would thrive during which times of year. Koons said he's excited to use native succulents and drought-tolerant plants as well as perennials and annuals that will provide a richness of color. The sculpture features two toy rockers— a horse and a dinosaur — that are split in half and paired unevenly down the middle for an angular Cubist effect. It's made of steel armatures and outfitted with an internal irrigation system. 'Split-Rocker' will be the first outdoor work of art guests will see driving west on Wilshire from downtown. It will sit across the street from the La Brea Tar Pits' tragic woolly mammoth family, adding a playful bit of fantasy architecture to LACMA's 3.5-acre park space. The sculpture will join the museum's other highly recognizable works of public art, including Chris Burden's 'Urban Light' and Michael Heizer's 'Levitated Mass,' as well as a newly commissioned children's garden sculpture of a whimsical UFO by Shio Kusaka and Mariana Castillo Deball's 'Feathered Changes,' which stretches over three football fields of raked, carved and imprinted concrete composing the museum's plaza. LACMA is also reinstalling Alexander Calder's monumental 'Three Quintains,' which was commissioned for the then-new museum complex in 1965. Tony Smith's massive 'Smoke' sculpture already has been installed. 'From the day I landed, I obviously knew I wanted to focus on L.A. artists,' said LACMA Chief Executive and Director Michael Govan. 'But then I wanted to just bring a little New York too.' 'Split-Rocker,' like Koons' only other topiary sculpture, 'Puppy' from 1992, was created as an edition of one, plus one artist proof. LACMA has acquired the artist proof, which in 2014 towered over visitors to Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. Edition 1 of 'Split-Rocker' is currently installed at Glenstone, a museum in Potomac, Md. The artist proof of 'Puppy' famously greets visitors to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Edition 1 is at the Brant Foundation in Greenwich, Conn. 'Out of those four cities, L.A. is the only place where there's good weather all year round, and it doesn't have to go to sleep in the winter,' Govan said of 'Split-Rocker,' noting how excited he is to see it change with the seasons. The idea for 'Split-Rocker' came to Koons when he noticed his son's rocking horse in one corner of a room, and a rocking dinosaur in another. 'And I thought, oh my gosh, if you would just split those two down the center and then put their two profiles together, it would be kind of like a Picasso piece,' Koons said. 'Because the one eye of the dino would be looking one way, and the eye of the pony would be looking completely in a different direction, and their profiles would not line up perfectly.' When Koons began creating color schemes for the piece, he divided it into five different shading groups, with the dinosaur imbued with a different color range than the pony. 'When you plant it, you try to take control, and you're able to put certain colors and certain plants in certain areas,' Koons said. 'But at a certain point you have to walk away, and it's in the hands of nature.' Govan said he believes in the power of public sculpture and hopes 'Split-Rocker' and the other monumental works on the LACMA campus will serve as beacons to passersby, beckoning them to explore further inside. They also are powerful tools of social media marketing, as guests photograph themselves and essentially promote a visit. One of Govan's earliest memories, he said, is visiting his grandparents in Chicago and seeing the Picasso in Daley Plaza out the car window. 'It was was one of my first entry points to art, and art in public, as a very young person, and I never let it go,' Govan said. 'Kids should see something on the street that's art — not a building — that makes them want to get out and go back.'
FACT
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- FACT
Wynn Al Marjan Island: A first look at the UAE's most ambitious integrated resort
The first casino resort in the UAE is expected to open in March 2027. I've travelled over 5,000 miles and spent more than 24 hours in transit to preview a property that's set to redefine luxury in the UAE. The Eiffel Tower pierces the skyline, but this isn't Paris. The towering Sphinx guards its pyramid, but we're not in Egypt. Medieval castles, circus big tops, and rollercoasters coil around steel spires. Welcome to Las Vegas, the home of the flagship Wynn Hotel. Here, overlooking the iconic Strip or the dazzling Sphere, Wynn Las Vegas commands its prime position. A temple to entertainment where designer boutiques, destination dining, and paradisiacal pool parties seamlessly converge. Now, that energy is being bottled and brought to the shores of Ras Al Khaimah, as the United Arab Emirates prepares to welcome its first integrated resort—complete with a gaming area. While Las Vegas brims with themed hotels, the Wynn stands apart as a living garden of lush botanicals. And at Wynn Al Marjan Island, the same philosophy thrives—only with a Middle Eastern spirit. Expect an expansive poolscape bordering the beach, adorned with a plethora of 12 swimming and wading pools, water features, secluded cabanas, and lush tropical landscaping. Gaming will be discreet, tucked away behind multiple foyers. If it's not your scene, you'll never even know it's there. Wynn Al Marjan Island Design that reflects the destination Every space at Wynn Al Marjan Island is expected to be a showstopper and has been treated like set design to bring the sense of theatre to the forefront. Wynn Al Marjan Island will forgo the beautiful botanicals of the Vegas flagship in favour of Indian textiles, North African furnishings, stylish stonework, and a fantastical sense of escape wrapped in timeless sophistication. Art is central to the Wynn experience and Jeff Koons' Tulips (made from more than three tons of metal for $33,682,500), currently on display at Wynn Las Vegas will go on loan to the Ras Al Khaimah property, taking pride of place in the Wynn Esplanade, joining high-end retail options and an art collection curated across continents from the likes of Gordon Getty. The architecture of the UAE's first integrated gaming resort will draw inspiration from the coastal beauty of Ras Al Khaimah. Expect an elegant atrium echoing Al Marjan's natural light, with sundered spaces and stone-washed palettes. Communal corridors will feature tobacco-coloured carpets and Moroccan mint tea scents, transporting guests into accommodations rich in cultural sensitivity. Wynn Al Marjan Parterre Shops Astounding abodes Ahead of its highly anticipated opening in March 2027, FACT was given an early preview of the creative vision that will shape the 1,530 rooms, suites, and villas at Wynn Al Marjan Island. Conceptualised and brought to life by Wynn Design & Development, the example we viewed in Vegas blended elegance with intention. Boasting Wynn's most culturally responsible room design, the Resort King room features an entry vestibule that separates the living space from the corridor—a notable departure from the open-plan layouts typically found in contemporary resorts. This carefully considered design element enhances privacy and creates a distinctly residential feel that will appeal to Middle Eastern guests. Wynn Al Marjan Island's Resort King Room Inside, a Western aesthetic empathetic to the local culture instils the spaces with an exoticism. Floor-to-ceiling windows will offer uninterrupted views across the Arabian Gulf, providing a brilliant blue colour hit that draws attention away from the room's monochromatic scheme. The interiors evoke a sculptural sensibility, characterised by arched forms, reflective surfaces, and layered textures that draw inspiration from the region's artistic and cultural heritage. Throughout, warm tones, custom lighting, and mirrored accents evoke the rhythmic calm of the sea, seamlessly blending 18th- and 19th-century elegance with modern refinement. Walls are inlaid with ethnography featuring palm leaves and pyramids that wouldn't be out of place in a photo by Wilfred Thesiger. Bathrooms, complete with double vanities, walk-in showers, and freestanding soaking tubs, extend the experience of understated luxury to every corner. Wynn Al Marjan Island's Resort King Room 'These rooms are rooted in the language of Wynn but reinterpreted for this oceanfront experience. They're a beautiful expression of form and function influenced by Ras Al Khaimah's natural beauty,' Todd-Avery Lenahan, President & Chief Creative Officer of Wynn Design & Development, told FACT. Though some of the higher category rooms, townhomes and Marina estates at Wynn Al Marjan Island are reserved as 'invite-only' sanctuaries for Wynn's most treasured guests and VIPs, standard guest rooms in Ras Al Khaimah will inherit the luxurious detailing that is usually reserved for high-end suites in Vegas. Dining and nightlife Restaurants promise theatre at every turn. And while the Las Vegas property features Cipriani, Delilah (Wynn's headline-grabbing supper club), and the MICHELIN-starred Wing Lei, some are expected to make the move to Ras Al Khaimah. Wynn Al Marjan Island will feature the brand's most ambitious collection of restaurants. The eastern part of the site is quiet and restrained, gradually intensifying as you move west, offering an atmospheric immersion. An Indo-Persian brasserie will seat 90 guests, while Indian, Japanese, and Mediterranean concepts will offer extended dining experiences that flow late into the night. Every diner in the restaurants lining the beach-facing promenade will enjoy sweeping views of the sea. Wynn Al Marjan's nightclub concept flips the Vegas stereotype, providing an intimate jewel-box venue that is more King Louis XVI than EDM extravaganza. Meanwhile, the beach club is set to become one of the most exquisite the world has seen, engineered with superstar DJs in mind and perched directly on the white sand shores. And then there's a reimagining of AFT; Wynn Las Vegas' nautical-themed cocktail grotto will be cantilevered dramatically over the ocean in the UAE, promising an upgraded version of Vegas' 'Lake of Dreams' nightly show, reinterpreted for the Arabian Gulf. Wynn Al Marjan Pool Deck Glamorous Gaming While 50% larger than Wynn Las Vegas, the casino itself has been designed with an entirely different feel—fresh, organic, bright and beachy. Elegant lounges will sit at its heart, far from the shadowy confines typically associated with gaming resorts. Instead, the gaming areas have been designed to feel porous and fresh, with the casino detailing being the most similar element to the property's Las Vegas counterpart. A Private Sky Casino will also be found in the Marjan Tower, which rises more than 305 metres above the sea. Hoping to shake the 'Sin City' stereotype of Las Vegas, it is predicted that Emiratis will not have access to the gaming areas in accordance with UAE regulations. While the specifics of the gaming offered are still being clarified by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), tabletop games such as Blackjack and Roulette are expected, alongside slot machines. Wynn Al Marjan Island Lobby Meetings, events and entertainment At Wynn Al Marjan Island, every element has been tailored to its superb setting. Designed with weddings, celebrations, and large-scale events in mind, all meeting rooms offer a stunning view of the water. Spaces are named after influential artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the Coral Court Ballroom as the centrepiece. While Wynn Las Vegas is currently home to the superb Awakening show, the theatre at Wynn Al Marjan Island will host bespoke productions specifically tailored to the region. The resort will also offer layered experiences, including nightly laser and light shows for guests to enjoy. What's next? More than 6,000 staff will bring Wynn's first-ever beachfront resort to life. Behind the scenes, a level of craftsmanship and curatorial care rarely seen outside of Europe's grand palaces will define every detail, from paisley motifs woven into the carpets to silk panels lining the corridors—an elegant nod to Ras Al Khaimah's name, which translates to 'top of the tent' in Arabic. Wynn Al Marjan Island isn't just building an integrated gaming resort. It's building a Middle Eastern fairy tale of glamour, sophistication, and show-stopping design that will bring the full spectacle of Wynn hospitality to the United Arab Emirates. Expect 24 restaurants spanning fine dining, casual, and social concepts; a five-star spa; a high-end shopping esplanade featuring global designer brands; 12 swimming pools framed by private cabanas and lush gardens; and a private deep-water marina designed for luxury vessels up to 75 metres. Add to that a 420-metre stretch of pristine white-sand beach and the signature Wynn entertainment experiences, and it's clear the stage is set for something spectacular. And when it opens, it won't just raise the bar for the region—it will set an entirely new one. GO: Visit for more information.
The Guardian
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jadon Sancho and the art of paying up
Something that goes viral now and again is the particulars of the house sale of someone rich, famous and very possibly lacking in taste. Sure, that saloon bar created in the style of the East End pub off Goodnight Sweetheart felt like a good idea at the time, as did that mirrored master bedroom ceiling adorned in the style of Jeff Koons' Cicciolina period. How will it sell on the open market? Quartz and pine are very much out, and as for that kitchen island … how much are they going to have to lower the price to get shot? It's a doer-upper, surely. Trends move on, and so, at great pace, does the football transfer market. One minute, a player's a hot prospect, and almost the next the dumper is beckoning. And as transfer fees climb ever upwards – £60m only buys you a 'maybe' these days – and wages multiply, there's an increased chance of expensive, unwanted duds. Jadon Sancho didn't ask for Manchester United to pay £73m for him in 2021, though he probably benefited financially. That it didn't go well at United is now accepted, though failure can have as many fathers as success. He's hardly the only player to have been chewed up and spat out by the United bone machine. Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay, Alexis Sánchez, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Antony … the list of the lost is almost endless. Sancho was seen back then as English football's brightest talent, top of the class at the elite Borussia Dortmund kindergarten, even allowing for Erling Haaland banging them in. In fact, wasn't it because of Sancho that Haaland looked so bloody good? Transfers, and the giddy expectation they allow, that mind's-eye fantasy of what a player will be like before the thudding reality of him actually playing, have made fools of just about every manager and sporting director in the game. In 2009, Real Madrid bought Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso and Kaka, a full-on Oxford-Cambridge-Hull/Cleese-Milligan-Sessions trio. It's the thudding reality part that Sancho has struggled with, his contribution to United negligible, his loan return to Dortmund better but not as good as previously, and now Chelsea, where his impact has slowed to nothing-burger status. Playing the margins of last summer's transfer market, Chelsea set up a loan deal leading to a permanent £20m-25m deal, handily paying only half-wages, but such is Sancho's lack of use they are reported to want to kibosh any deal. Problem being, United get £5m back as a penalty fee. Paying up to not play a player breaks fresh territory in transfer market silliness, even for Chelsea. As despite Sir Big Jim getting a bonus £5m into dwindling coffers, Manchester United still needs a buyer, preferably someone who fancies renovating a player still aged just 25. As for Sancho, he's reported to hope Dortmund's ever welcoming bosom stops him becoming yesterday's man. '[The fourth official] said I was aggressive – people who know me, I've got a Scottish accent. It comes across very aggressive, but I didn't swear, I didn't run, in my opinion I wasn't aggressive. My accent and my Scottishness is aggressive, but yeah, I got sent off for that' – the Exeter City manager, Gary Caldwell, reckons his Caledonian brogue was the reason he was sent from the dugout in Saturday's draw at Lincoln, earning his second red card this year. 'Brazil in 1982 definitely did have Zico, Falcao, and Socrates [Wednesday's Football Daily], but that team had the worst goalkeeper in the tournament in Waldir Peres, and the worst center forward in Serginho. Take It from somebody who saw all five of those games in person' – Paul Landaw. 'Further to Michael Madders email in yesterday's Football Daily about the final minutes of MK Dons v Walsall. It reminds of the time me and an ex girlfriend walked into my local. She knew nothing about football but was endearingly enthusiastic about it, so as I was waiting to get served she excitedly proclaimed that Real Madrid v Parma was being shown on the TV. After a quick glance at the screen, I informed her that it was the much more mundane Reading v Palace that was to provide that night's viewing' – Adrian Foster. 'You were oversimplifying things by saying that in South America it takes 45 games to eliminate three teams out of 10. We play home and away matches, so it's really 90 games to eliminate those three teams. Now wait until the World Cup pool is expanded to 64 and it will take the same number of games to eliminate just one team' – Roberto Fusaro (and 1,056 others). May I be the first of 1,057 to congratulate you on your use of Yiddish in Wednesday's Football Daily, while correcting your grammar? 'Davka' is the adjective, the '-nik' suffix creating a noun meaning somebody who is davka, or as they say in Portuguese, 'Mourinho'. Incidentally, 'davka' conveys a meaning of 'annoyingly precise' so a davkanik would be somebody who … oh...' – Jacob Zelten. Send letters to Today's letter o' the day winner is … Jacob Zelten, who gets a copy of Engulfed: how Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World. It's available in the Guardian Bookshop. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we have them, can be viewed here. Kylian Mbappé has finally got his move to England in the form of a waxwork at Madame Tussauds London. Throwing the the same trademark pose that so many visitors wear as they trudge up and down the Euston Road queue outside the famed tourist trap, the Real Madrid forward was pictured alongside his fancy figure after a lengthy process. This included sitting for hundreds of measurements and reference information so the artists 'could capture Mbappé's infectious energy in pain-staking precision'. 'The artists are so talented – the hair, the pose, it looks just like me, it's surreal!' parped Mbappé. 'I keep thanking the team for their incredible work, and I can't wait to hear what fans think when they can see it in real life.' Madame Tussauds is also offering free entry to children aged under 16 that visit wearing an official Mbappé shirt from Friday 4th to Monday 21st April. Any adults thinking of visiting Madame Tussauds without any accompanying children are urged (by Football Daily) to 'get a grip'. Max Rushden is joined by Philippe Auclair, Robyn Cowen and Will Unwin to wrap up the international break (and talk to Elis James in a hotel bed in North Macedonia) in the latest Football Weekly podcast. David Squires on … a tribute to Socceroo Jackson Irvine as told by his arm tattoos. Renée Slegers was pretty chuffed with her Arsenal side's comeback win against Real Madrid to advance to the Women's Big Cup semis. 'The result is a credit to everyone, staff and players,' roared the Arsenal manager Slegers. The rumours are true: the Premier League will have, not one, but two (!) transfer windows this summer owing to the Club World Cup. In a blow to fantasy teams around the world (and Nottingham Forest), Chris Wood has been ruled out of this weekend's FA Cup tie at Brighton after suffering hip-ouch during New Zealand's win over New Caledonia. The FA has, for now, decided not to push ahead with its plans to expand the English women's pyramid. The move would have led to the introduction of WSL B teams in the lower tiers from 2026. And Chelsea fans have urged the Premier League to look into the club co-owner Todd Boehly's links with the ticket resale website Vivid Seats. Zohib Islam Amiri, the former captain of Afghanistan, despairs at the state of the game in his country. Ed Aarons reports. Max Rushden on his love affair with Puma Kings (and brief fling elsewhere). This season's FA Cup has thrown up plenty of upsets, but there are more cup fairytales being written on the continent, notes Niall McVeigh. Trent Alexander-Arnold's expected departure signals the start of Liverpool's rebuild, writes Barney Ronay. Neil Duncanson digs into the mystery and maths of Pelé's 1000th goal, and the shirt that'll fetch a few bob. And Mika Biereth, once of Arsenal and mentored by Ian Wright, is banging them in for Monaco. Luke Entwistle has the Londoner's story. FA Cup quarter-final fever grips Highbury in 1973 as fans on the Clock End clamber for a view of the action from any vantage point. A crowd of 62,642 showed up for this sixth-round replay and saw Arsenal recover from Peter Houseman's 18th-minute goal for Chelsea to win 2-1. An Alan Ball penalty just before half-time and a Ray Kennedy strike on 58 minutes proved decisive for the Gunners. Victory boosted Arsenal's hopes of a third consecutive Cup final appearance under Bertie Mee's stewardship but the second-tier giantkillers Sunderland stunned them 2-1 at Hillsborough in the semi-finals before going on to win the trophy with another upset, against Leeds. Arsenal, meanwhile, suffered further Cup disappointment in the short-lived third-placed playoff in August, losing 1-3 to Wolves.
