Jerry’s response to Yau completely misses the point. Yau criticizes Koons’ reputation as a whole, and not a single work, like Puppy. As Yau notes – after copious citation of previous published assessments – he felt he didn’t have to see Puppy (by the time we get to the 21st century). What’s to see? Landscape gardening goes high tech? The main thrust is that Koons does not deserve Jerry’s exalted praise, that he’s endorsing something like an academic or corporate pompier.

The second point is that, like O’Hara – and Greenberg for that matter – the justification for Jerry’s praise is that Koons reflects American virtues, in a certain era. In as much as Koons reflects Amerika, it’s far-fetched to see key features to his work and method as virtues. Greed, laziness, inflation, infantile narcissism, conspicuous delegation and extravagant commission – are these really what America stands for now? A nation of managers with nothing left to manage? But Jerry, like his predecessors, flails around for a good old catch-all like America, simply because he is unable to otherwise sustain the praise. He doesn’t have the art history to place Koons in context there (and if he did, he would surely concede that Koons’ place is firmly in the 90s, not the naughties) he cannot bear to think of art as international or as anymore than nationalist gambits. So the final appeal is to Amerika.

Jerry, ‘tis of thee.

its ridiculous to put Koons, in the same food group as ” emblematic” and “our american”.
We know the problem is not with Koons, (He,s the donald trump New york art , a designer designing products). its jerry , what happened !
if the text is wrapped with shinny irony , its still dick-sucking.
I like Jerry . We all thought we,d know better. But he,s human and this
illustrates the distance between “the ground” and “the club”

American likes best, the authentic.

David
Artist
Long Island City

Not knowing Mr. Yau, I’d like to see what his America looks like.

We admit that wee got the idea from the dying writer of the player piano novella not these Mr. Boring Bozos and we like poetry too. We often also ask “Is this still L’America?” And we use the “shill” word a LOT. But of course these 2 Misters can own whatever they want because they make the big bucks, har!!!!!!!!!

We like the big pussy with flowers on lawn by Mr. Coons, we think it’s the best thang ever did and will go down in the historical books like dat!!!!!!!!!!! Lovvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeee ya!!!!! H+H