Jeff Koons Reimagines the Balloon Dog for evian’s 200th Anniversary—The Result is Pure Joy

As evian celebrates a once-in-a-generation milestone — 200 years since first bottling its pure natural spring water from the French Alps in 1826 — the iconic mineral water brand has partnered with world-renowned artist Jeff Koons for a joyful limited-edition collection. Set against the pristine backdrop of Lake Geneva, where evian’s source emerges after 15 years of natural filtration through glacial rock at the Cachat Spring, Koons has reimagined his celebrated Balloon Dog sculpture on two glass anniversary bottles: soft pink for evian Still and vibrant blue for evian Sparkling.

In this exclusive Haute Living interview, Koons reflects on the creative freedom behind the design, its deeper symbolism of reflection, health, and human connection, and why both art and water ultimately come down to the same essential gesture: sparking joy. Joining a prestigious lineage of evian collaborators that includes Virgil Abloh, Balmain, and Pharrell Williams, Koons’ contribution forms part of evian’s global “200 Years Young” campaign, which also features the brand’s star ambassadors Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Emma Raducanu, and Céline Boutier.

Photo Credit: Courtesy

HAUTE LIVING: Can you walk us through how this partnership came to be? What was the creative process like? 

JEFF KOONS: I was really excited when I was contacted by evian, and they informed me that they’re celebrating their 200th anniversary — their “200 Years Young” milestone — a true celebration of the company. I was thrilled because I’ve always enjoyed evian. The water is fantastic and incredibly pure, and I really believe in their commitment. That’s what attracted me to art — the ability to be in dialogue with other people, creating a platform where I could show my commitment to others. The care and time, the desire to communicate, to care about other people, and to share as much as I can with them, are things I’ve always held dear. And I believe that evian, as a company, has always created a product that shows how much they care for people. They’ve created something to help keep us healthy, happy, to help us enjoy life, to feel invigorated, and to feel young. Health is the most important thing in life, and evian has cared about making the best product they can to serve us the best water possible. So, I was thrilled to be part of the celebration.

HL: For the design, did you have full carte blanche? 

JK: I had a blank canvas, so I was able to create anything that I wanted. And I was happy to work with the team to understand the material sciences of working on a bottle — what we could do, what was possible, and how we could make the best finished product, given what I wanted to accomplish.

If we look at the design, there’s actually a balloon wrapping around the outside, and it’s silver on the outside. In the case of the flat water, it’s pink, and with the sparkling water, it’s silver on the outside and blue, featuring the balloon dogs.

So, I was hoping that the image would be joyous and celebratory. And at the same time, in a profound way, it would have references to our health. Both as a symbol — if you think about health as a mythological symbol, it has references. And if you think of our health as just our genes in our DNA, it creates a double helix with the type of wrap.

Photo Credit: Courtesy

And why the silver? I’ve always loved philosophy. And I’ve always loved reflection, because the word that is used most often in philosophy is “to reflect.” Reflection. And as soon as we’re able, as individuals, to truly reflect and accept ourselves as individuals, we’re able to open ourselves up to the world. And that’s kind of the basis of the arts.

I think as an artist, where do things come from? Everything comes from our interests, and when we open ourselves up to everything, everything is here to empower us. And if we think of culture, we think of gestures that people make — whether it’s a poem, or whether it’s an artwork, or whether it’s architecture. All of these things are just gestures. And what we are really opening ourselves up to is the acceptance of others. Everything is about human interaction and about caring for each other.

As an artist, I want to make the best art that I can to show how images and ideas — how information — can be embedded within something. If you think of evian, what they’re doing is showing people that they care. They care about our health. They want us to feel joy, to feel energy, and to let nature perform at its fullest by giving us the best water they can for us to enjoy.

HL: Have you done a collaboration like this before? 

JK: This is the first time I have done a collaboration with water. I’ve enjoyed doing collaborations with other companies that I know have also shown how much they care about creating something. This collaboration lets people know that they give everything they have in performing what they do — their service to the community.

I hope that this celebratory aspect comes across, because I’m happy with the design. It’s a fantastic product, and I hope people look at it and feel the joy and the celebration.

More about the evian x Jeff Koons 200th Anniversary Limited-Edition Collection

The Jeff Koons x evian limited-edition glass bottles are part of evian’s “200 Years Young” global campaign, celebrating two centuries of pure natural spring water sourced from the French Alps. The collection features two designs: the Balloon Dog in soft pink on evian Still and vibrant blue on evian Sparkling, each housed in a glass bottle with a silver balloon wrap inspired by Koons’ iconic sculpture. The bottles are available as part of a limited-edition release. For more information, visit evian.com.