Artist #11: Jeff Koons

I have trouble seeing Jeff Koons as an artist. I certainly acknowledge his pieces as art, but I don't feel they're really his per se, since he doesn't actually work the material to make what he does. To me art is about having the knowledge to make something with your own hands, and being practiced enough to do it better than the vast majority. If someone thinks of an idea for a statue, and asks a sculptor to craft it, it may belong to the buyer, but it is still the artist's work. To me, Jeff owns the art, but the art is not his own. Perhaps this is part of what he is trying to do, but I simply don't think he is deserving of having his name placed as a creator of the work.