The artwork “Aqui Bacardi” was created by artist Jeff Koons in 1986. This piece was crafted in the United States and is classified as a ready-made within the realm of Conceptual Art and Neo-Pop Art movements. The artwork serves as an advertisement and embodies the characteristics of commercial imagery and consumer culture that are frequently explored in Koons’s body of work.
The artwork displays a close-up view of a bottle of Ron Bacardi Superior with its distinct dark amber label. Adjacent to the bottle are human hands engaged in leisure activities: one hand is holding a glass filled with ice and what appears to be rum, garnished with a slice of lime, while the other features several dice, suggesting a context of social recreation. The Spanish phrase “Aqui…el gran sabor del ron Bacardi,” which translates to “Here… the great flavor of Bacardi rum” dominates the upper portion of the composition, adding to the overall promotional character of the artwork. The colors are vivid, with rich browns and the warm amber tones of the rum creating an inviting aesthetic. Through this assemblage, Koons appears to challenge the boundaries between high art and commercial advertising, highlighting the consumption of both material goods and cultural images.
