Top to bottom: Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe, appearing as part of EIF; Brian Wilson; National Portrait Gallery; Paolo Nutini, appearing at RockNess.
PREVIEW OF THE YEAR
JEFF KOONS: 5 CLASSIC ARTWORKS
As the National Galleries unveils the collection of Jeff Koons’ works in Artist Rooms (including the nice bears on our front cover), we consider some of the American neo-pop artist’s crazy career milestones
1 THE EQUILIBRIUM SERIES The spiritual offspring of his idol
Andy Warhol Koons first attracted attention with a series of conceptual works displaying consumer items in glass cases, most notably the ‘Three Ball Total Equilibrium Tank’ (1985), which consists of three basketballs floating in a glass tank half-filled with water.
2 MICHAEL JACKSON AND BUBBLES
The culmination of Koons’ mid-late 80s Banality series was three life- sized gold-leaf plated porcelain statues of the King of Pop embracing his pet chimp. In 1991 one of these beauties sold at Sotheby’s New York for $5.6 million.
3 MADE IN HEAVEN This infamous series (pictured)
was created during Koons’ short- lived marriage to porn star Cicciolina. The collection of highly coloured paintings, sculptures and photographs depicted the couple in explicit sexual positions, attracting huge controversy. Cicciolina separated from Koons in 1992 and went on to serve as a member of the Italian parliament.
4 PUPPY This 43-ft high topiary sculpture
of a West Highland White Terrier created from a variety of multicoloured flowers was purchased in 1997 by the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Before its dedication ceremony a trio of ETA activists disguised as gardeners attempted to plant flowerpots filled with explosives near the sculpture but were foiled by Basque police.
5 EASYFUN ETHEREAL Koons brought pop art into the
21st century with this 2001 series, which drew on the visual language of celebrity culture, advertising and marketing to create seven large- scale collage-like paintings that combined bikinis, deli sandwiches, enormous lips and more.
18 THE LIST 6–20 Jan 2011
regarded as one of the most ambitious and diverse exhibitions of contemporary art. This year’s collection, curated by Lisa Le Feuvre and Tom Morton should be no exception. (LM) ■ CCA, GoMA & Tramway, 28 May–14 Aug.
COMEDY Basil Fawlty’s alter ego gets up close and personal From his Monty Python stints and Fawlty Towers’ moments to his more recent, slightly dubious turn in Charlie’s Angels he’s charmed us with his acerbic characterisation and belly laughter inducing wit. Prepare to be amused and bemused as John Cleese brings a heady mix of showbiz anecdotes to Edinburgh for his Alimony Tour. (AM) ■ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, 10 Jun.
BOOKS Invernesian Booker nominee makes welcome return There but for the is Ali Smith’s first novel since her 2007 Canongate Myths contribution, Girl Meets Boy. It starts with a stranger who comes to dinner and refuses to leave, as Smith explores what it means to live with other people. After Hotel World and The Accidental, will this make it a hat-trick of Booker nominations? (BD) ■ Hamish Hamilton, 2 Jun.
FESTIVAL Rocking out in Inverness Even the threat of Kasabian can’t shake the popularity of dance-rock carnival RockNess. With Paolo Nutini and the Chemical Brothers confirmed, and The Libertines rumoured, the five-year old festival is fast becoming the area’s biggest tourist attraction. Meanwhile, in a nearby body of water, a quiet monster gently weeps. (NM) ■ Dores, near Inverness, 10–12 Jun.
FILM Scotland’s finest shine of the red carpet With a new director at the helm, the Edinburgh International Film Festival returns with its silver screen offerings this June. Expect the obligatory visits from patrons Sean Connery and Tilda Swinton and so much more. (AM) ■ Various venues, Edinburgh, 15–26 Jun.
MUSIC Rock royalty prepare to rock out with Kings of Leon Our favourite, soft-rocking Tennessee sons of a preacher man, Kings of Leon, come fully armed with harmonic pop bombast and drum-thundering bluster. This is one for fans of the big-league alt-rockers but also for lovers of Big Country: KOL’s latest single, ‘Pyro’, is a dead-ringer for Adamson and co’s 1986 hit, ‘Look Away’. (NM) ■ Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, 26 Jun.
BOOKS Author and commentator with epic tale Hari Kunzru’s Gods Without Men is billed as the author of The Impressionist’s most ambitious and panoramic novel yet, revolving around the mysterious disappearance of a young boy in the Californian desert. The novel flashes back in time, interweaving the stories of the boy and his parents, a British rock star on the run and the members of a UFO-inspired cult. (BD) ■ Hamish Hamilton, 4 Aug.
FESTIVAL Big old park, lots of action T in the Park get plenty of big-hitting bands, with Foo