Jeff Koons' Puppy at Guggenheim Bilbao Wears a Flower Mask

Jeff Koons' 12.4-meter-tall sculpture Puppy, a West Highland Terrier made of flowers, now wears a mask of white and blue blooms outside the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The mask was added during the regular spring flower change, which sees the sculpture adorned with begonias, balsams, marigolds, and petunias. Koons stated that a Bilbao resident wrote him a letter requesting the mask, and he found the idea wonderful. The artist emphasized that sharing information on how to protect each other during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial. Puppy was created in 1992, first installed near Arolsen Castle in Germany, exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Sydney's port in 1996, and acquired by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1997 for the Bilbao museum. Critic Jerry Saltz described Puppy in 2000 as a monument that brings joy, comparing Koons to Ronald Reagan. The mask will become more visible as the flowers bloom in the coming weeks.