Neiman Marcus and Jeff Koons celebrate Dallas art scene

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Jun 14, 2017

The fashion and art worlds intersect frequently in Dallas, TX, the latest of which occurred when artist Jeff Koons personally appeared at the Neiman Marcus Dallas flagship to unveil replicas of his newest sculptures.

Koons spent the afternoon and evening with the store during the US unveiling of his three new works, his pink Balloon Rabbit, his blue Balloon Monkey and gold Balloon Swan. French luxury brand Bernardaud has made porcelain replicas of each of the works.

Neiman Marcus is the exclusive US distributor of the works through the end of the month. Neiman Marcus is retailing the Bernardaud pieces for $9,500 each.

Koons and Bernardaud forged a partnership over a decade ago when Bernardaud's CEO Michel Bernardaud asked Koons about creating a vase based on Koons' work, Split Rocker.

In addition to pushing himself creatively in the studio with his fine art, Koons is a frequent collaborator, saying, “I am fortunate to have different opportunities to work with people." He also has a current collection with Louis Vuitton that brings the paintings of Van Gogh and da Vinci to handbag designs for the luxury brand.

Michael Bernardaud said Koons' pieces "sell very well." In addition to the Balloon Rabbit, Balloon Monkey and Balloon Swan, Neiman Marcus is also carrying a line of Balloon Dog plates for $9,000 also made by Bernardaud.

While Koons is one of the preeminent living artists, he does not regularly appear in person at retail to promote his collaborations. However, the unique atmosphere of the Dallas contemporary art scene was a perfect venue for an appearance to announce the nationwide product launch.

Art and fashion share an extremely close knit relationship in Dallas. The NorthPark Center mall is host to a world class art collection. Coach recently commissioned local Dallas artist Arthur Peña for fine art it will use in its marketing campaign as well as a brand sponsored exhibition in the mall.

Neiman Marcus will sell the Bernardaud Koons sculptures through June 30 online and in store.