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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name Jeff Koons? His gleaming sculptures that resemble the balloon animals made by clowns at children’s parties? His iconic Rabbit, which sold for $91.1 million in 2019? Or perhaps his turbulent relationship and marriage to Cicciolina, which fuelled one of the most provocative chapters of his career in the early 1990s? Whatever the answer, one thing is certain: few contemporary artists know how to provoke, polarise and transform familiar images into globally recognisable symbols quite like Jeff Koons. Now, the American artist is bringing his distinctive creative universe to haute horlogerie through a new collaboration with Hublot.
The Swiss watchmaker is welcoming Jeff Koons into its international family of ambassadors. Hublot’s collaboration with the celebrated American artist is rooted in their shared desire to transform materials, challenge established perceptions and combine bold aesthetics with technical precision. For the time being, however, the announcement has not been accompanied by the unveiling of a specific watch. Hublot’s wording nevertheless leaves open the possibility that the partnership will eventually take tangible form through a creation bearing Koons’ unmistakable artistic signature.
An interesting connection between Hublot and Jeff Koons can be traced back to 1980. That was the year the brand’s founder, Carlo Crocco, introduced the first Hublot watch, combining a case made from a precious metal – gold – with a strap crafted from a more “humble” material: natural rubber. It was an entirely unexpected and highly unconventional choice for its time.
It was during the same period that Jeff Koons began developing his personal artistic vocabulary, transforming familiar everyday objects into works of art that reconsider the notions of luxury, desire and mass culture. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Koons has created some of the most recognisable works in contemporary art. Balloon Dog, Rabbit and Puppy derive their power from seemingly simple and playful forms, behind which lie complex production processes, meticulous surface treatments and absolute control of proportion.
The point at which these two creative worlds converge most clearly is their exploration of materials. Hublot has built much of its contemporary identity around The Art of
Jeff Koons emphasises that both he and Hublot share a particular fascination with materials science. As he explains, his aim as an artist is to transcend the object itself, allowing the finished work to acquire a meaning greater than the sum of its individual components. Similarly, he believes that Hublot harnesses technology, expertise and materials research to create watches with a broader emotional and symbolic dimension.
Hublot CEO Julien Tornare describes Koons as one of the few artists to have transformed everyday objects into global cultural icons through scale, precision and uncompromising execution. According to Tornare, the collaboration embodies the contrasts on which Hublot has built its identity: tradition and disruption, mechanics and emotion, innovation and craftsmanship. As he points out, beneath the boldness lies extraordinary discipline, while beneath the surface lies profound expertise.
The collaboration with Jeff Koons is the latest chapter in a relationship that Hublot has been cultivating systematically since 2011 through its Hublot Loves Art initiative. The Swiss watchmaker has worked with artists and designers from a wide range of creative disciplines, transforming the watch into a platform for experimenting with form, materials, colours and textures.
Sculptor Richard Orlinski brought the distinctive geometric facets of his work to the Classic Fusion, while Takashi Murakami transformed his iconic smiling flower into a spectacular rotating dial. Shepard Fairey, tattoo artist Maxime Plescia-Buchi, designer Samuel Ross, fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto and multidisciplinary artist Daniel Arsham have also offered their own interpretations of the Art of Fusion philosophy, creating watches that go far beyond a simple aesthetic intervention. Jeff Koons’ arrival in this creative family therefore seems entirely natural. Our attention now turns to the obvious next step: a new watch bearing the American artist’s signature. What might it look like? We look forward to finding out.
