In the tradition of Marcel Duchamp, Dada, and Pop Art, American artist Jeff Koons (born 1955) created controversial works of art that forced the spectator to reexamine the impact of consumerism and popular culture on both the individual and contemporary society.

Jeff Koons was born in York, Pennsylvania, in 1955. Koons's father, a furniture store owner and interior designer, early on encouraged his son's interest in art. By the age of 18, Koons enrolled at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where he was a student between 1972 and 1975. During his senior year,Koons decided to spend his time studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago while simultaneously working at the Museum of Contemporary Art in the installations department. In 1976 he returned to the Maryland Institute to finish his course requirements for the Bachelor of Fine Arts before moving to New York in 1977. While in New York...