Jeff Koons’ whimsy takes over Whitney Museum with major three-decade retrospective

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Jeff Koons is taking over the Whitney Museum of American Art.

The contemporary artist’s oversized toy-like sculptures and other works spanning a three-decade career will fill nearly the entire museum from June 27 through Oct. 19. Some pieces were completed just days before the opening, including a 10-foot-high sculpture called “Play-Doh.”

The Jeff Koons retrospective also marks the final exhibition at the Whitney’s uptown Manhattan location. In 2015, it will move to a new downtown location.

Installing the show has been a herculean task for the museum. For the first time, it had to remove the front doors and find creative ways to get the monumental pieces to upper galleries.

The exhibition will travel to Paris in November and then to Spain next summer.