Claes Oldenburg b.1929) Swedish pop artist Claes Oldenburg arrived in the United States in 1936. After completing his studies at Yale University and taking courses at the Art Institute of Chicago, Oldenburg moved to New York City. In the 1950’s Oldenburg met Jim Dine and Allan Kaprow, with whom he collaborated on the creation of Happenings, a non-traditional theater inspired by Jackson Pollock’s paintings. It was also at this time that Oldenburg began arranging his first sculptural assemblages and creating his environments, such as The Store. By the 1960’s, Oldenburg was creating ‘soft’ sculptures, which led to his famous oversized
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Claes Oldenburg
b.1929)Swedish pop artist Claes Oldenburg arrived in the United States in
1936. After completing his studies at Yale University and taking courses at the Art Institute of Chicago, Oldenburg moved to New
York City. In the 1950’s Oldenburg met Jim Dine and Allan Kaprow, with whom he collaborated on the creation of Happenings, a non-traditional theater inspired by Jackson Pollock’s paintings. It was
also at this time that Oldenburg began arranging his first sculptural assemblages and creating his environments, such as The Store.
By the 1960’s, Oldenburg was creating ‘soft’ sculptures, which led to his famous oversized pieces.
Knife Ship II, 1986Steel, aluminum, wood; painted with polyurethane enamelExtended, with oars: 26 ft. 4 in. x 31 ft. 6 in. x 82 ft. 11 in.
height with large blade raised: 31 ft. 8 in. ft. 10 in. Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles
Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1988Stainless steel and aluminum painted with polyurethane enamel29 ft. 6 in. x 51 ft. 6 in. x 13 ft. 6 in. Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Free Stamp, 1991Steel and aluminum painted with polyurethane enamel28 ft. 10 in. x 26 ft. x 49 ft. Willard Park, Cleveland, Ohio
Shuttlecocks, 1994Aluminum and fiber-reinforced plastic painted with polyurethane enamelFour shuttlecocks, each 17 ft. 11 in. high x 15 ft. 1 in. (crown diameter and 4 ft. nose diameter, sited in different positions on the grounds of the museumThe Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri
Corridor Pin, Blue, 1999Stainless steel and aluminum painted with polyurethane enamel, edition 21 ft. 3 in. x 21 ft. 2 in. x 1 ft. 4 in. Courtesy of Grant Selwyn Fine Art, New York and Los Angeles
(Needle, Thread and Knot), 2000Brushed stainless steel and fiber-reinforced plastic painted with
polyester gelcoat and polyurethane enamelNeedle and thread: 59 ft. high Piazzale Cadorna, Milan, Italy
Flying Pins, 2000Steel, fiber-reinforced plastic, foam, epoxy; painted with polyester gelcoat and polyurethane enamelTen pins, each: 24 ft. 7 in. high x 7 ft. 7 in. widest diameterball: 9 ft. 2 in. (2.8 m) high x 21 ft. 12 in. diameterIntersection of John F. Kennedylaan and Fellenoord Avenues, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Plantoir,2001Stainless steel, aluminum, fiber-reinforced plastic, painted with polyurethane enamel, edition 3/3; 23 ft. 11 in. x 4 ft. 5 in. x 4 ft. 9 in. Collection Meredith Corporation, courtesy of PaceWildenstein
Dropped Cone, 2001Stainless and galvanized steels, fiber-reinforced plastic, balsawood; painted with polyester gelcoat39 ft. 10 in. high x 19 ft. diameterheight above building: 32 ft. 10 in. Neumarkt Galerie, Cologne, Germany
Split Button, 1981Aluminum painted with polyurethane enamel
16 ft. diameter x 10 in. thickheight from ground when sited: 4 ft. 11 in. Levy Park, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Clothespin, 1976Cor-Ten and stainless steels45 ft. x 12 ft. 3 in. x 4 ft. 6 in. Centre Square Plaza, Fifteenth and Market Streets, Philadelphia , PA
