Giant, shiny, flowery, Michael Jackson-y… stuff. Seventeen of Jeff Koons’ works from 1980 to today are being shown in Versailles. Probably the craziest exhibition for what’s left of 2008 and already causing scandal. Read on…


So what’s in that giant wooden box that’s been so beautifully Photoshopped™ onto the gardens of Versailles? My guess is that it’s a HUGE flower dog, much like the one Jeff did for the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Paris (or Versailles in this case) can be so jealous sometimes.

There’s no need to be though; this exhibition, running concurrently with his display of giant shiny things on top of the Metropolitan in New York, looks set to be the most talked about exhibition for the end of this year. Can you imagine the most luxurious, over-the-top buildings and gardens in the world being peppered with the kitschest, most over the top and most expensive works of art in the world? Well, that’s what’s happening from 10th September to 14th December, and not everyone’s thrilled about it.

The Union Nationale des Écrivains de France (French National Union of Writers: never heard of them before) think it’s quite unseemly, and Count Edouard de Royère, head of an important fund that supports Versailles agrees, saying that holding the exhibition there, even for three months, is a mistake. “I have nothing against modern art, but…” (love that ‘but’)… “but I am completely shocked by its eruption in Versailles, a magic, sacred place”. Well erupt it will nonetheless, with each piece being shown in its room (apart from one giant surprise in the garden), including a suspended giant lobster and the famous Michael Jackson sculpture.

Actually, the garden sculpture isn’t that much of a surprise ; although we’re still not sure what it will look like, we do know that it already has a name, “Split-Rocker”, will be 12 metres high and made up of 90,000 plants. That’s a lot of plants. Strangely, Koons admits in an interview with the Figaro newspaper that he didn’t even go around the château to decide which piece to put in which room; everything has been organised from New York, with the help of computers and photos. Very odd…

Here’s all the essential information for the Jeff Koons exhibition at the Château de Versailles

When: 10th September – 14th December 2008
Where: in the Château de Versailles (and in front of the Orangerie for Split-Rocker)
How to get there: RER line C takes you to the Versailles Rive Gauche station, 6 minutes walk from the chateau. RER C leaves from Saint Michel, not far from our hotels. There are other train options but they leave you much further away from the chateau…
Opening hours: until 31st October, every day except Mondays from 9am – 6.30pm (last entrance at 6pm), then from 1st November onwards from 9am – 5.30pm (last entrance at 5pm). Late night opening on Saturdays (except 13th September) from 6.30 – 10pm
Price of admission: adults 13.5 euros, concessions 11 euros. FREE for under-18s and for everyone on 4th October for the Versailles Off event (but don’t go then, it’ll be packed)
Details of other complicated ticket options here
Official Versailles site: here
Official Jeff Koons Versailles site: here

Bigger map here