For New Year's Eve, The Party Hat In Art by 16 Artists From Jeff Koons to Redshift.




With New Year's Eve tonight and a new year of birthdays coming up, I was inspired by the notion of 'Party Hats' and wanted to see what was out there in terms of fine art that incorporated the classic pointed hat. I was not disappointed and I hope you won't be either.

So, in honor of New Year's Eve, here's a round up of 16 contemporary artists and sculptors who have made various works of art in which the party hat appears. I took a few liberties in the sense that some included are dunce caps and Will Cotton's are edible creations rendered in paint - I hope you don't mind.

Party Hat Paintings

Jeff Koons

above: Jeff Koons, 'Party Hat', 1995-97, oil on canvas, 114 3/8 x 127
Kathi Olivas:

above: The Spectator

above: Regenerate and Girl with Cat

above: conjoined rabbit boys

above: upside down boy and boy with braces

above: Bird sculptures by Kathi Olivas

Mark Ryden:

above: Jajo, Patron Saint of Clowns, 1994, Oil on Panel, 15" x 20" and detail

Will Cotton:

above: CROQUEMBOUCHE, 2010, oil on linen, 54 x 39 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mary Boone Gallery

above: KATY, 2010, oil on linen, 34 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mary Boone Gallery

above: RIBBON CANDY PORTRAIT, 2008, oil on linen, 36 x 32 inches

above: COTTON CANDY HANNAH, 2009, oil on linen, 47 x 32 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mary Boone Gallery

Matthew Feyld (aka Driftwould):

above: Untitled (Grey Shirt Party Hat), Acrylic on wood panel,24 x 24" 61 x 61 cm

Dog Party oil paintings:



Party Hat Sculptures

Sarah Troper:

above: Party Hats, 2007. steel, elastic cord, 11.5cm x 10cm x 16cm (each)
Kate Mitchell:

above: Social Sculpture, 29kg Party Hat, 2011, Lead, archival quality watercolour paper, 26 cm x 9 cm radius

Amanda Louise Spayd:


above: little mixed media handmade creatures donning party hats

Darla Jackson
limited edition sculptures (also available in bronze)

above: Surprise Party (Birds), 2009,Gypsum Cement, 4”h x 5”w x 5”d
above: Surprise Party (Crow), 2009, Gypsum Cement, 6”h x 5”w x 12”d

above: Surprise Party (Rabbit), 2009, Gypsum Cement, 9”h x 6”w x 12”d

above: Surprise Party (Cat), 2009, Gypsum Cement, 15”h x 20”w x 14”d

above: Surprise Party (Raccoon), 2009, Polyurethane Resin, 14”h x 18”w x 12”d

above: Surprise Party (Fawn), 2009, Polyurethane Resin, 16”h x 18”w x 8”d

above: Fish out of Water..., 2008, Mixed Media, 24"h x 72"w x 36"d
her etsy store

Cart Before The Horse - Contemporary folk art by Dylan and Jo:

above: handmade dolls and skellies, complete with party hats

Flora Art Studio:

above: Chimerical Six Series, low fire clay, 12"h x 6"w x 6" d (30.5cm x 15cm x 15cm), each sold separately
above: Algorithm Dunce Ghost Baby, low fire clay, 11" x 4.5" x 3.5" (28 x 11 x 9.5 cm).

above: Autophobia, low fire clay, 15" x 8" x 5.5"

Jeffrey Augustine Songco:

above: Party Hats, 2011, cotton and paper in locked case 6" x 4" x 4" (15cm x 10cm x 10cm), edition of 83

above: party hat installation, 2011

Kimberley Henessey:

above: BANG! parade of fools (detail) , art installation, foam and paper, 2009

above: BANG! parade of fools , art installation, mixed media, 2009

Jackie Mock:

above: Pigeon, 2010, taxidermy pigeon with party hat constructed of paper, yarn, and acrylic paint

Kristin Mariano:
Redshift leather and feather party hats by Kristin Mariano for Rick Owens




above: Selling in sets of three at Rick Owen's New York store are these wonderful back leather party hats and white feather party hats

And some Party Hat links for you:

There's even a "Keep Calm" poster available of which you can customize the color:

buy it here


Cool ugly dolls party hats by David Horvath:


buy them here

...and the prettiest party hats you can buy. Bejeweled party hats by Sereni and Shentel:

buy them here

and lastly, an easy to follow tutorial to make your own.

Happy New Year!