Antiques, Collectibles and Fine Art Auction
Lot 162:
Jeff Koons GOAT Champ’s Sculptural Edition signed by Muhammad Ali and Howard L. Bingham
Description
A rare and highly sought-after deluxe sculptural edition produced by Taschen to accompany GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali, this work unites three cultural giants – Muhammad Ali, Jeff Koons, and Howard L. Bingham – in a monumental multimedia celebration of sport, art, and celebrity.
Set Includes:
The Book: GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali (792 pages), bound in custom pink leather referencing Ali’s first Cadillac. Signed by Muhammad Ali and Jeff Koons, and numbered within the Champ’s Edition of 1,000. At 50 x 50 cm and over 75 lb, it remains one of the largest and most ambitious books ever published.
Photographic Portfolio: Four gelatin silver prints of Muhammad Ali by Howard L. Bingham, each signed by Bingham (and often by Ali himself). These portraits capture the champion with intimacy and authenticity unmatched in the Ali canon.
Sculptural Installation by Jeff Koons: A playful Pop assemblage comprising an inflatable dolphin, a patterned tire float (inner tube), and a white stool, together forming Koons’s signature sculptural environment known as Radial Champs. When fully assembled (approx. 1.75 m high), it transforms the edition into an interactive display – a commentary on heroism, commercial culture, and childlike wonder.
Accessories: Original air pump, installation instructions, plexi supports, and boxes as issued by Taschen.
Edition and Rarity:
The Champ’s Edition was limited to only 1,000 sets, distinguished by the inclusion of Koons’s full sculptural installation. This version – signed by Ali, Koons, and Bingham – represents the complete and most desirable form of the project, far rarer than the book-only or photograph-only subsets. Auction results at Phillips, Sotheby’s, and Lempertz consistently confirm the premium associated with complete examples including the sculptural elements.
Concept and Significance:
Koons’s installation for GOAT embodies his distinct Pop aesthetic – bright consumer materials reimagined as art-historical symbols of adoration and celebrity. Here, the floating dolphin and inflatable forms suggest ascension and eternity, while Ali’s legacy anchors the piece in human achievement and moral courage. This union of mass culture, heroic myth, and sculptural spectacle epitomizes Koons’s practice at its most ambitious and collaborative.
Publisher: Taschen, Cologne, 2004.
Edition: Limited “Champ’s Edition, ” no. of 1,000 examples.
Signatures: Book signed by Muhammad Ali and Jeff Koons; each of the four photographs signed by Howard L. Bingham (and often also by Ali).
Medium: Mixed media sculptural installation with book and photographic portfolio.
Dimensions:
Book approx. 50 × 50 cm (19.7 × 19.7 in); weight approx. 34 kg (75 lb).
Sculptural component assembled approx. 175 × 170 × 81 cm (69 × 67 × 32 in).
Photographs each approx. 20 × 20 in (sheet).
Condition: Excellent overall; minor handling wear to inflatable and float; book and prints crisp and well preserved; original installation materials retained where stated.
Provenance: Private collection, Montreal.
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