Visual artist Jeff Koons to be honored with the 2016 Trophée des Arts

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is set to honor American visual artist Jeff Koons with the 2016 Trophée des Arts at The Plaza hotel on Friday, October 28, 2016. That same evening, the FIAF will also pay tribute to L’Oréal Chairman & CEO Jean-Paul Agon by awarding him with the 2016 Pilier d’Or.

Since his first solo exhibition in 1980, Jeff Koons has been recognized as one of the most prominent artists working today. Since then, the world-famous artist has long contributed to the cultural life in France. He presented his extraordinary floral public sculpture, Split-Rocker, for the first time at the Palais des Papes, in Avignon. The famed artist subsequently had a notable solo exhibition in the gardens of the Château de Versailles, which opened its doors to a living artist for the first time, in 2008. A recent exhibition, Jeff Koons: A Retrospective was presented to great fanfare in 2015 at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

“This year’s honorees are pioneers and adventurers,” explains FIAF President Marie-Monique Steckel. “There is no doubt that each honoree is a leader in beauty and exploration. Jeff Koons has reinvented contemporary art and created a conversation about new forms and ways to express artistic creation; Jean-Paul Agon has spent his career traveling the world for L’Oréal and exploring new expressions of beauty.”

The annual FIAF Trophée des Arts gala evening will raise funds to support FIAF’s educational and cultural programs and is co-chaired by Larry Gagosian, Kenneth M. Jacobs, William & Clémence Von Mueffling and Robert & Elisabeth G. Wilmers.

Created in 1992, the Trophée des Arts distinguishes artists who shows FIAF‘s mission of French-American friendship and cross-cultural exchange. It has been bestowed upon French and American artists and cultural icons, including: François Cluzet, Alain Ducasse, Jacques Grange, Marc Jacobs, James Ivory, Angélique Kidjo, Philippe de Montebello, Charlie Rose, Robert Wilson, and most recently Françoise Gilot.