ROCKEFELLER CENTER
Tishman Speyer Properties
45 Rockefeller Plaza
NewYork,NY 1O111

Rubenstein Associates, Inc.
Public Relations
Lindsay Rovick   (212) 843-9265
Germaine Febles (212) 843-8031



JEFF KOONS' PUPPY TO MAKE U.S. DEBUT
A T ROCKEFELLER CENTER
* * *
A 43-Foot Tall Puppy Sculpture Made of 70, 000 Fresh Flowers
to Stand in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza

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Jeff Koons

Puppy

1992

Mixed media Sculpture

©Rockfeller Center in association with Public Art Fund

(New York, NY) May 3, 2000 - Jeff Koons' acclaimed sculpture Puppy will be brought to the United States from Sydney, Australia, for an unprecedented public exhibition at Rockefeller Center. Organized by Rockefeller Center in association with the Public Art Fund, this New York exhibition of Puppy will begin its three-week installation process on May 13th. A grand opening is scheduled for June 6th. puppy will remain standing through August 2000.

"We are thrilled to bring this wonderful work of art to the United States for the first time," said Jerry I. Speyer, President of Tishman Speyer Properties, which co-owns and manages Rockefeller Center. "We are extremely proud to have Jeff Koons' Puppy on display at Rockefeller Center for New Yorkers and visitors to appreciate and experience. "

Rising 43 feet tall from the puppy's paws to its ears, the sculpture is formed from a series of stainless steel armatures constructed to hold over 25 tons of soil watered by an internal irrigation system. Over seventy thousand multi-hued flowering plants will grow from this steel-and-soil armature, including Marigolds, Begonias, Impatiens, Petunias, and Lobelias.

"Jeff Koons' Puppy is one of the most significant sculptures of the 20th century," said Susan K. Freedman, President of the Public Art Fund, "and Rockefeller Center provides the ideal setting for millions of people to enjoy Puppy throughout the summer. "

Jeff Koons'  Puppy is a staggering achievement of sculptural imagination, horticultural dexterity and engineering skill. First created in l992 for a temporary exhibition in the German city of Arolson, Puppy was an immediate sensation drawing huge crowds and critical acclaim. A symbol, according to Koons, of ''love, warmth and happiness, '' this contemporary masterpiece is a triumph of scale, color and materials.

Once described as ''the seventh wonder of the world,'' Puppy was installed in Sydney, Australia in l996 and one year later traveled to Bilbao in Spain where it became a permanent part of the Guggenheim Museum's collection and an internationally - recognized icon for the Basque city.

Jeff Koons

Born in l955, Jeff Koons is one of the world's most widely recognized artists. In the 1980's his sculptures and photographs explored contemporary American iconography and the relationship between popular kitsch and
high art. Koons' signature work is sculpture that is most often inspired by strikingly simple culturally-laden
imagery.

For the last 20 years the Public Art Fund has occupied a unique position within the art world by presenting art
works outside the traditional gallery space. Public Art Fund installs contemporary art works at public locations
throughout New York City, exposing diverse audiences to the most provocative art of our time.