Google teams up with artist Jeff Koons for limited-edition Nexus phone cases

Google has teamed up with artist Jeff Koons to make a series of Nexus phone cases featuring his recent sculptures. There are three cases in total — all considered to be a "limited edition" — with each featuring one piece from Koons' "Gazing Ball" series.

These are all part of Google's Live Case line, which means they also include a custom wallpaper that's activated after snapping on the case. Here, it's an exclusive video piece made by Koons — a take on Swan Lake that adds in his Gazing Ball. It's said to be Koons' first work in video.

AMONG THE CHEAPEST WAYS TO ACQUIRE A KOONS

Koons, who's best known for his shiny balloon dog sculptures, is among today's most successful artists, but his work has been criticized in some circles. New York Mag has more on Koons' work and the response to it in a 2013 article, from when the "Gazing Ball" series was about to debut. Some of that criticism has been around his work with kitsch, commodified objects; making a phone case seems to play into that in basically every good and bad sense.

The three Koons cases will be available in the US today for $40 each, with sizes for both the Nexus 5X and 6P. Like Google's other Live Cases, they add an additional button onto the phone using NFC, but you have to press pretty hard to get it to work.