When first shown at the Venice Biennale in 1990, the paintings, sculptures and installations of Jeff Koonsʼ “Made in Heaven” series captured the public's imagination to such an extent that a solo show of the works at Sonnabend Gallery in New York the following year generated lines around the block. With “Made in Heaven,” Koons celebrated, in explicit sexual terms, his union with wife Ilona Staller, the Italian porn star and politician known as La Cicciolina. Depicting the pair as a contemporary Adam and Eve, works with such titles as Dirty Ejaculation and Ilonaʼs Asshole generated immediate controversy that overshadowed their complex dialogue with the history of art and Koonsʼ exploration of the established values of traditional painting and photography. To this day, “Made in Heaven” remains the most debated work in the career of this celebrated artist.

Featuring an essay from curator and critic Alison M. Gingeras.