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Heralded for exploiting art-branding to the extent that Andy Warhol celebrated celebrity, Jeff Koons has only one equal in contemporary art - his UK counterpoint, Damien Hirst. Their dueling (and dizzying) art auction hauls rival the greats of their industry. Despite their relative youth, each has become dazzlingly well-known and wealthy well within his lifetime.

Always interesting is the provenance not only of a piece of work, but of the artist himself. Chernick does well to share Koons's background, a father who was an interior decorator in Philadelphia, a marriage to Cicciolina, inspirations drawn from Koons appealing to his son. In a sense, however, Chernick's adulation of her subject seems to suppress a true exploration of the artist's sense of place; Koons is not asked what he thinks of his contemporaries, nor is Koons quizzed about the future of his work or from where he sees potential rivals emanating.

Chernick's film, therefore, remains more of an homage to Koons than a discussion to the overall meaningfulness of Koons's work in the greater art timeline. Koons is given the opportunity to explain himself, and the intent behind his work, but he is never challenged to defend his work or to formulate opinions onthe works of those with whom he shares the contemporary kingdom.

There is no doubt that Duchamp was a great inspiration, and Koons refers to him in this doc as the "grandfather of the 20th Century." Magritte, Dali and Rauschenberg each get mentions, and although Koons himself states the following fact, it seems genuine and important - Koons is a "lover of art." As goofball as his pieces might seem to some, the root of the works, like that of all great commentators on society, is based in history and place. Like Steve Martin's absurdist comedy, or Basquiat's philosophy, Koons and company reside far above the often ignorant pop-culture ephemera of our time. Koons knows from where he came.

That Koons was (and remains) ambitious is also exposed full-frontally in this film. From moment one, working behind the desk at MoMA, it's apparent that there was never a moment when Koons wasn't working his way up the art food chain. That he sojourned from MoMA to wall street brokering might shock some people, but is consistent with Koons serving the master currency to ensure his art received the financing it then required.

Chernick shows the Koons studio with its litany of worker bees executing his lavish visions, but the film never addresses the factory atmosphere, nor speaks with the minions at work in his studio busily producing and reproducing the work envisioned by the master. And, so, we're left wondering what those relationships are like. Is it all by direction? Is there any collaboration? Any particular new muse?

Whether expressing himself via ceramic sculptures, pocketless billiards tables, aluminum balloon animals, lust-filled billboards or 60,000-flower stem statues, Koons continues to live large, create large, and to consume the contemporary art scene he formerly held hostage. Chernick's fundamental role in helming the documentary is further impressed by the engagement of the comments of art world superstars Julian Schnabel, Ingrid Sischy,Chuck Close, the Village Voice's Jerry Saltz and dealer Mary Boone (who was one of the first to show Koons's work, surprisingly, on the recommendation of fellow aritsts Schnabel and David Salle).

Described as illogical and poetic, Koons's appropriation of labeling, packaging, advertising, entertainment and commerce deftly presents the artist's philosophies in a soothing state of clarity consistent withthe artist's voice. Chernick's film will deepen the audience's understanding of Koons's work, and enable them to identify and relate to his work in a more meaningful relationship. If you weren't a fan of Koons before, Chernick's work makes a sound case for enlightenment to the dazzling brand who is the man, and gives meaning to the mania that surrounds the work.


--Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek