The Gang’s All Here

A poetic celebration of firsts and lasts, the Whitney Museum toasted the opening of Jeff Koons’s comprehensive retrospective—a long-awaited first for the artist—and the final show at the museums Madison Avenue address before moving to a new Renzo Piano-designed space in the Meatpacking district next spring. Guests including art world heavy weights like Jeffrey Deitch, Larry Gagosian, Cindy Sherman, Roselee Goldberg, and Eli Broad roamed the sprawling exhibition, which takes up the first four floors of the iconic Marcel Breuer building, before moving to the museum’s front garden for congratulatory drinks. Koons and his extended family greeted friends and colleagues, posing for the occasional snap by Bill Cunningham. Some of the more salacious work, like his 1989 series “Made in Heaven”, apparently still has the power to evoke strong reactions, prompting questions like, “Do you think that is semen or Cetaphil?” But the most popular attraction of the night was the fourth floor where monumental sculptures like Puppy, Balloon, and Play Doh could be Instagramed without interruption. Snapping selfies in colorful cocktail attire, guests like Yvonne Force Villareal almost looked like part of the show.