In the opening crowded social event how can the sculpture be placed unsecured on a glass table - also, the sculpture had rounded smooth glossy point of contact (dog's legs).

The podium: https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_727,c_fit/http%3A...

> she gave unintentionally a little kick in the pedestal, which was enough to cause the sculpture to fall down.

I'm wondering, was she walking past? Or you know some women when they laugh, or angry, they involuntarily kick their feet. Cute, but kind of tragic if it was that. She must feel terrible.

This is absurd, and sexist, and though I don’t think you meant harm by it you might reconsider your model of how biological sex corresponds with voluntary control of one’s muscles.

Parent poster knows some women who kick their feet.

Are you calling them a liar? Who is hurt by the idea that some women somewhere have tick?

Are we now getting offended by any observations whatsoever, even if they aren't generalized to all women, or even negative?

But especially if it is an involuntary expression of anger, as you say, then advancing the sexist "You're Cute When You're Angry" trope[0] is not a great reaction.

[0] https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YoureCuteWhenYou...

Why did they put no effort into protecting this piece? Perhaps because they could easily make another one if it came to it. I mean, it's just a ceramic duplicate of an ordinary balloon dog, of which a million or so are made at children's birthday parties.

Note, Koons himself produces work at scale in what he calls a factory and which is ... a factory.

    A total of 799 editions of the sculpture were made. 

*Completely made up number as I’m not an art valuer, but the point stands.

https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a16995

When my children were small, they were terrified to break things in supermarkets. I told them that it is always the supermarket fault when something is not fixed properly.

Of course this is for accidental damage.

That whoever should sue the show for anxiousness /s

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi

> Bel-Air Fine Arts added that some collectors have offered to purchase the broken pieces.

Why waste time and gold?

> "This kind of thing unfortunately happens, that is why the artwork was covered by insurance"

Is the owner of the gallery district manager here simply lying for insurance purposes?

[1] https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/oops-woman-accidentally-br...

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/18/arts/jeff-koons-sculpture...

> Herald that Gamson offered to buy the balloon dog’s remains for $15 million on the spot.

Wait, so the broken sculpture is now worth more than before? How does this even make sense.

I remember when I was a kid one of my favourite Donald Duck installations was one where Donald accidentally breaks an antique and invaluable vase, and some art people goes crazy for the shards, and so Donald launches a new career as an artist where people bring their Ming dynasty vases to him, and he goes to town on them with power tools.

I don't recall quite how it ends, but I think the trend passes and he's left with a bunch of worthless shards. I think Scrooge was angry for some reason as well...

I liked it at the time because it was such an absurd concept. Guess it wasn't nearly as absurd as I thought!

Nope. He's made a bunch of different balloon animals, and this particular dog was an edition of a few hundred. You can buy one on Artsy right now if you've got some spare cash lying around: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/jeff-koons-balloon-dog-blue-po...

And I am not opposed contemporary art in general

https://hyperallergic.com/436913/jeff-koons-gazing-ball-dest...

If a little foot tap at the base of the stand could do that, and they allowed feet to be near the base of the stand, then it could hardly have been worse if they just left it out front on the sidewalk.

Ah, other comments are illuminating. The thing was mass produced and of little value despite the price tag.

So now the worst job being done is not the gallery for failing to protect something of little value, but Zoe Sottie or CNN for publishing a non-story.