Jeff Koons is to exhibit some of his best-known works in the palace and gardens of Versailles this fall, reports the Guardian.

The chrome steel Rabbit from 1986 will take pride of place on a marble pedestal in the palace's Salon d'Abondance, Balloon Dog (Magenta) will be shown beside a Veronese masterpiece in the Salon d'Hercule, and Hanging Heart (Magenta/Gold) will be suspended from the Queen's Staircase.

The planned exhibition has already elicited criticism. Edouard de Royère, creator of the Fondation du Patrimoine and one of Versailles's principal patrons, said, "I am not against contemporary art, but I am absolutely shocked at its descent on Versailles, a magical, sacred place."

But Koons thinks the setting is perfect for his work. Contemporary art "is so imprisoned in the present that juxtaposing new works with old ones allows you to rediscover a connection between history and the history of art," he told Agence France-Press. "The baroque is the ideal context for me to highlight the philosophical nature of my work."

The exhibition is on view from September 10 to December 14