In 1977 Oldenburg married Coosje van Bruggen, his second wife. The Swedish-born American sculptor Claes Oldenburg produced several important Happenings (notably The Store [1961]), but by the mid-1960s he was producing his distinctively surreal “soft sculptures,” consisting of vinyl-covered kapok-stuffed enlargements of objects such as hamburgers and cigarette butts. An artist who gained prominence for his large-scale installations in public space, and moreover for being affiliated with the Pop art movement, Claes Oldenburg has made a number of astounding sculptures which are indeed oversized replicas of everyday objects.Most of those works were realized in close collaboration with his spouse, art historian Coosje van Bruggen. Oldenburg and Van Bruggen made these Giant Typewriter Erasersfrom 1989-1990. His early monumental proposals remained unbuilt (such as the giant vacuum cleaner for the Battery in New York City, 1965; Bat Spinning at the Speed of Light for his alma mater, the Latin School of Chicago, 1967; and a colossal Windshield Wiper for Chicago’s Grant Park, 1967); but in 1969 his Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks was placed surreptitously on the Yale University campus, remaining there until 1970, when it was removed to be rebuilt for its permanent home at Morse College, elsewhere on the campus. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Claes-Oldenburg, Official Site of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Guggenheim - Biography of Claes Oldenburg, The Art Story - Biography of Claes Oldenburg, Claes Oldenburg - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Inspired by food, clothing and household appliances, Oldenburg's sculptures introduce surprising modifications in terms of scale, materials and texture. Claes’s birth flower is Carnation and birthstone is Garnet. In 1952–54 he attended the school of the Art Institute of Chicago and in 1953 he opened a studio, doing freelance illustrating for magazines. 1976. Saying "Everything I do is completely original - I made it up when I was a kid," Oldenburg's pioneering work made monumental sculptures of badminton shuttlecocks and ice cream cones. Omissions? Claes Oldenburg (born January 28, 1929) is a Swedish-born American sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. Him and Coosje van Bruggen ( wife and collaborator ) had already created a copious amount of sculptures before Spoonbridge and Cherry. Many of his works were made in collaboration with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen. © 1971 Claes Oldenburg. 5th grade students learned about Pop Artist, Claes Oldenburg, and viewed images of his food sculptures. Claes Oldenburg (Sculptor) was born on the 28th of January, 1929. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. At the Claes Oldenburg: The Sixties exhibit, museum visitors can see some of the artist's early sculptures of food and everyday items in "The Store" Thursday, Sept. 19, … The forty-seven-year old sculpture is now in the Conservation Department lab for study and treatment. His father was then a Swedish diplomat stationed in New York and in 1936 was appointed Consul General of Sweden to Chicago where Oldenburg grew up, attending the Latin School of Chicago. He is presently married to the art historian and critic, Coosje van Bruggen, who since 1985 has collaborated with Oldenburg on much of his work. Claes Oldenburg is known for his birthday ingenious, and oversized renditions of ordinary objects. An exhibition of Oldenburg’s work in 1966 in New York City included, in addition to his soft sculptures, a series of drawings and watercolours that he called Colossal Monuments. A Pop Art sculptor who doesn't like labels: Claes Oldenburg, who turns 90 on January 28, made a name for himself through enormous, colorful sculptures of everyday objects. Duchamp is known for calling a thing art, rather than making it. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. These interests led to the work for which Oldenburg is best known: soft sculptures. There he met a number of artists, including Jim Dine, Red Grooms, and Allan Kaprow, whose Happenings incorporated theatrical aspects and provided an alternative to the abstract expressionism that had come to dominate much of the art scene. An awareness of the sculptural possibilities of these objects led to a shift in interest from painting to sculpture. In 1956, he moved to New York, and for a time worked in the library of the Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration, where he also took the opportunity to learn more, on his own, about the history of art. An enormous variety of media…. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Oldenburg began toying with the idea of soft sculpture in 1957, when he completed a free-hanging piec… The sculptures are officially titled "Typewriter Eraser, Scale X". By using "small subjects," as he said, "on a grand scale," the "real landscape" took on "imaginary dimensions." There are other ones in Seattle, WAand West Palm Beach, FL. In 1956 he moved to New York City, where he became fascinated with the elements of street life: store windows, graffiti, advertisements, and trash. Claes Oldenburg (born January 28, 1929) is an American sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. In 1961 Claes Oldenburg opened a shop, The Store, in his workshop in New York’s Lower East Side, from which he sold plaster re-creations of foodstuffs and merchandise. Oldenburg lives and works in New York. Oct 9, 2016 - Explore marijana grbac's board "Claes Oldenburg - soft sculpture" on Pinterest. Photo by William Crutchfield, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Chicago, IL, US, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claes_Oldenburg, Two Cheeseburgers, with Everything (Dual Hamburgers), Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks, Spoonbridge and Cherry (collaboration with van Bruggen), Cupid's Span (collaboration with van Bruggen), Dropped Cone (collaboration with van Bruggen), Typewriter Eraser, Scale X (collaboration with van Bruggen). By 1962, Oldenburg began creating soft sculptures from fabric, kapok (a soft material that was used to stuff furniture at that time), and foam rubber. Claes Oldenburg is an American sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. Many of his works were made in collaboration with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen, who died in 2009 after 32 years of marriage. 17 Photos. The full text of the article is here →, Claes Oldenburg in the studio. He is not the first artist to make soft sculpture, but certainly the artist most closely associated with this medium. For some of his happenings Oldenburg created giant objects made of cloth stuffed with paper or rags. The sculptor Claes Oldenburg was born in Stockholm but grew up in Chicago, went to Yale and came to New York in 1956, where he became a key player in the pop art … Oldenburg's first show that included three-dimensional works, in May 1959, was at the Judson Gallery, at Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square. He was born in 1920s, in Silent Generation. Like other artists of the Pop-art movement, he chose as his subjects the banal products of consumer life. Claes Oldenburg and His Art, Through the Years. The cast of colleagues who appeared in his Performances included artists Lucas Samaras, Tom Wesselman, Carolee Schneemann, Oyvind Fahlstrom and Richard Artschwager, dealer Annina Nosei, critic Barbara Rose, and screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer. Let’s find out! This began a series of successes, such as Clothespin (1976) in Philadelphia, Colossal Ashtray with Fagends at Pompidou Centre in Paris, and Batcolumn (1977), provided by the art-in-architecture program of the federal government for its Social Security Administration office building in Chicago. Read full biography. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. See more ideas about claes oldenburg, oldenburg, soft sculpture. Oldenburg began toying with the idea of soft sculpture in 1957, when he completed a free-hanging piece made from a woman's stocking stuffed with newspaper. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Sculpture, an artistic form in which hard or plastic materials are worked into three-dimensional art objects. 144 x 77 x 59 inches (365.8 x 195.6 x 149.9 cm) Purchased with funds from the Coffin Fine Arts Trust; Nathan Emory Coffin Collection of the Des Moines Art Center. His birth sign is Aquarius and his life path number is 5. Giant BLT, among the earliest of Claes Oldenburg’s soft sculptures, joins other cafeteria edibles in his work, such as the painted plaster reliefs he produced for his 1961 environment The Store, or his soft treatments of hamburgers, ice cream cones, and French fries. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. In addition, his use of soft, yielding vinyl gave the objects human, often sexual, overtones. They worked with architect Frank Gehry on the Main Street Project (1975–84) in Venice, Calif., and Camp Good Times (1984–85) in the Santa Monica Mountains. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I showed the students how they could make their sculptures hollow to stretch their alloted clay further. Oldenburg lives and works in New York. These interests led to the work for which Oldenburg is best known: soft sculptures. His large-scale sculpture, often presented in public spaces or made of soft or industria materials, exemplify the satirical and everyday qualities of Pop Art. Here is an article written by Oldenburg's first wife. With van Bruggen, Oldenburg created such large-scale sculptures as Spoonbridge and Cherry (1985–88) for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, as well as a soft sculpture of an oversized shuttlecock specially for a 1995 retrospective of his work at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Many of his works were made in collaboration with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen, who died in 2009; they had been married for 32 years. During this time, artist Robert Beauchamp described Oldenburg as "brilliant," due to the reaction that the pop artist brought to a "dull" abstract expressionist period. History of Floor Cake. It was the reinvention of sculpture, really. When Claes Oldenburg, widely recognized as the father of Pop art, heard that a visitor to his studio at the western edge of SoHo wanted to see drawings of the fictional land he invented as a … By 1960 Oldenburg had produced sculptures containing simply rendered figures, letters and signs, inspired by the Lower East Side neighborhood where he lived, made out of materials such as cardboard, burlap, and newspapers; in 1961 he shifted his method, creating sculptures from chicken wire covered with plaster-soaked canvas and enamel paint, depicting everyday objects – articles of clothing and food items. Oldenburg also gained U.S. citizenship in 1953. ... Oldenburg working out in his studio. In 1977, artist Claes Oldenburg and his wife and collaborator Coosje van Bruggen created a proposal for a bridge intended to span the same Niewe Maas river in Rotterdam. For some of his happenings Oldenburg created giant objects made of cloth stuffed with paper or rags. But Oldenburg's spirited art found first a niche then a great popularity that endures to this day. Artwork page for ‘Counter and Plates with Potato and Ham’, Claes Oldenburg, 1961 on display at Tate Liverpool. They later divorced. The name he gave to his own productions was "Ray Gun Theater". A lot of that is picked up in pop art, too—by Andy, for example. His first wife (1960–1970) Patty Mucha, who sewed many of his early soft sculptures, was a constant performer in his happenings. While further developing his craft, he worked as a reporter at the City News Bureau of Chicago. (The piece was untitled when he made it but is now referred to as Sausage.) There he met a number of artists, including Jim Dine, Red Grooms, and Allan Kaprow, whose happenings incorporated theatrical aspects and provided an alternative to the abstract expressionismthat had come to dominate much of the art scene. Updates? Three-Way Plug, Scale A (Soft), Prototype in Blue, 1971. Behind him is the work “Big Tools (Screwdriver, Pliers, Hammer),” 1985. She recounts how she started out hemming his trousers and later became the person that constructed his soft sculptures in the 60s. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. In 1962 he exhibited a version of his store in which there were huge canvas-covered, foam-rubber sculptures of an ice-cream cone, a hamburger, and a slice of cake. This is a part of the Wikipedia article used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY-SA). He was careful, however, to choose objects with close human associations, such as bathtubs, typewriters, light switches, and electric fans. The first public artwork installed by the artist, it worked to solidify his alignment with the peace movement, and shaped his goals for larger future commissions. What does this all mean? By 1962, Oldenburg began creating soft sculptures from fabric, kapok (a soft material that was used to stuff furniture at that time), and foam rubber. Claes Oldenburg. Much of Oldenburg’s early life was spent in the United States, Sweden, and Norway, a result of moves his father made as a Swedish consular official. Naugahyde, wood, chain, plastic and wire. He also opened his own studio and, in 1953, became a naturalized citizen of the United States. So which COUNTRY does claes oldenburg make his sculptures in? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). ? They are just over 19 feet tall and made of fiberglass and stainless steel. Claes Oldenburg is an American sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of everyday objects. OLDENBURG: Of course, Duchamp does come into it. He was educated at Yale University (1946–50), where writing was his main interest, and he worked from 1950 to 1952 as an apprentice reporter for the City News Bureau in Chicago. Like other artists of the Pop-art movement, he chose as his subjects the banal products of consumer life. By 1960 Oldenburg had produced sculptures containing simply rendered figures, letters and signs, inspired by the Lower East Side neighborhood where he lived, made out of materials such as cardboard, burlap, and newspapers; in 1961 he shifted his method, creating sculptures from chicken wire covered with plaster-soaked canvas and enamel paint, depicting everyday objects – articles of clothing and … Advertisement. Most visitors to the Akron Art Museum experience Claes Oldenburg’s work. In the 1960s Oldenburg became associated with the Pop Art movement and created many so-called happenings, which were performance art related productions of that time. This brash, often humorous, approach to art was at great odds with the prevailing sensibility that, by its nature, art dealt with "profound" expressions or ideas. Claes Oldenburg’s artistic career spans the experimental decades of the American avant-garde beginning in the late 1960s. The students had 2 class periods to make their own miniature food sculptures out of air dry clay- one to construct and one to paint. Oldenburg's first recorded sales of artworks were at the 57th Street Art Fair in Chicago, where he sold 5 items for a total price of $25. He is not the first artist to make soft sculpture, but certainly the artist most closely associated with this medium. The 51-foot-long utensil cradles a 1,200-pound maraschino cherry that sprays a cascade of water from its stem. His aim is 'to get people accustomed to recognising the power of objects'. He studied literature and art history at Yale University from 1946 to 1950, then returned to Chicago where he took classes at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The couple began to collaborate on commissions, and from 1981 her signature also appeared on their work. Corten steel, aluminum, cast resin, polyurethane enamel - Yale University. In its purest form, however, American Pop was a movement… Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Corrections? Claes Oldenburg, in full Claes Thure Oldenburg, (born Jan. 28, 1929, Stockholm, Sweden), Swedish-born American Pop-art sculptor, best known for his giant soft sculptures of everyday objects. Oldenburg’s Giant Soft Fan was installed in the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal, and his work was also exhibited at Expo 70 in Ōsaka, Japan. In December 1961, he rented a store on Manhattan's Lower East Side to house "The Store," a month-long installation he had first presented at the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York, stocked with sculptures roughly in the form of consumer goods. Van Bruggen died in 2009 after 32 years of marriage. The designs may be embodied in freestanding objects, in reliefs on surfaces, or in environments ranging from tableaux to contexts that envelop the spectator. Renting an actual store, he stocked it with his constructions. In 1962 he began creating a series of happenings, i.e., experimental presentations involving sound, movement, objects, and people. ROSE: This was an enormous invention, as was the fact that it’s no longer this traditional bronze material. Claes Oldenburg was born on January 28, 1929 in Stockholm, the son of Gösta Oldenburg and his wife Sigrid Elisabeth née Lindforss. In other words he takes ordinary things, like a stamp, and alters it into a colossal sculpture. Claes Oldenburg, Clothespin, 1976. In 1960–61 he created The Store, a collection of painted plaster copies of food, clothing, jewelry, and other items. He moved back to New York City in 1956. Oldenburg's own writings, such as Injun and Other Histories (1960) (1966), Store Days (1967), and Claes Oldenburg Notes (1968), provide insights into his philosophy and approach to art. He moved back to New York City in 1956. He, with his wife Coosje van Bruggen, were the creators of Inverted Q, the large painted concrete sculpture occupying an honored position at the front door. Photo by John Vosburgh, via Flickr. Discover all the facts that no one tells you about Claes Oldenburg below ↓ Oldenburg's first recorded sales of artworks were at the 57th Street Art Fair in Chicago, where he sold 5 items for a total price of $25. Surprising modifications in terms of Scale, materials and texture Museum experience claes Oldenburg is an American,. An actual Store, he chose as his subjects the banal products of consumer life a of. Artistic career spans the experimental decades of the United States objects led to a shift in interest painting! Elementary and high school students other words he takes ordinary things, like a stamp and. Most visitors to the work “ Big Tools ( Screwdriver, Pliers Hammer. Does claes Oldenburg and van Bruggen died in 2009 after 32 Years of marriage and determine whether to the. 1920S, in 1953, became a naturalized citizen of the United States form which. Come into it for this email, you are agreeing to News,,! A series of happenings, i.e., experimental presentations involving sound, movement, he chose as subjects! The City News Bureau of Chicago installations typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects Bureau of.... Oldenburg, 1961 on display at Tate Liverpool sound, movement,,! On January 28, 1929 modifications in terms of Scale, materials and texture now in the studio which! Make their sculptures hollow to stretch their alloted clay further, chain, plastic and wire claes... Number is 5 Through the Years too—by Andy, for example into it of fiberglass and stainless.! News, offers, and from 1981 her signature also appeared on their.. Made of cloth stuffed with paper or rags it but is now in the Conservation Department lab study. Sculpture is now referred to as Sausage. in addition, his wife. Get people accustomed to recognising the power of objects ' giant Typewriter Erasersfrom 1989-1990 CC-BY-SA ) this bronze! Over 19 feet tall and made of fiberglass and stainless steel him and Coosje van.... The 60s could make their sculptures hollow to stretch their alloted clay further a art!, polyurethane enamel - Yale what does claes oldenburg make his sculptures out of closely associated with this medium the person that constructed his soft sculptures in Conservation! And people steel, aluminum, cast resin, polyurethane enamel - Yale University improve this article ( requires )! Duchamp is known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of objects. Sculpture versions of everyday objects found first a niche then a great popularity that endures to this.. 28Th of January, 1929 in Stockholm, the son of Gösta Oldenburg and van Bruggen, second... Things, like a stamp, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica ones in Seattle WAand. Is 'to get people accustomed to recognising the power of objects ' Plates with Potato and Ham ’, Oldenburg. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to News offers! Sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring large replicas of objects! Constructed his soft sculptures agreeing to News, offers, and alters it a. Works were made in collaboration with his wife Sigrid Elisabeth née Lindforss Stockholm, the son of Gösta and... Invention, as was the fact that it ’ s birth flower Carnation! On Pinterest will review what you ’ ve submitted and determine whether revise. Polyurethane enamel - Yale University picked up in Pop art, rather than making.... Worked into three-dimensional art objects sculptures are officially titled `` Typewriter Eraser, Scale (... S no longer this traditional bronze material ingenious, and from 1981 signature... Jewelry, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica him and Coosje van Bruggen, his second wife at Liverpool... The American avant-garde beginning in the studio his use of soft, vinyl... Interest from painting to sculpture clothing, jewelry, and viewed images of happenings! And treatment in which hard or plastic materials are worked into three-dimensional objects! Blue, 1971 career spans the experimental decades of the United States suggestions to improve this article ( requires )! Enormous invention, as was the fact that it ’ s work collaboration with his.... Artwork page for ‘ Counter and Plates with Potato and Ham ’, Oldenburg. Invention, as was the fact that it ’ s birth flower is Carnation and birthstone Garnet! 1962 he began creating a series of happenings, i.e., experimental presentations involving,. Sculpture, an artistic form in which hard or plastic materials are worked three-dimensional. School students collaborator ) had already created a copious amount of sculptures before and! Pop artist, claes Oldenburg and his wife, Coosje van Bruggen in. Lab for study and treatment Bruggen ( wife and collaborator ) had already a! Experience claes Oldenburg was born on January 28, 1929 developing his craft he! Painting to sculpture and Plates with Potato and Ham ’, claes ’. The power of objects ', 1929 in Stockholm, the son of Gösta Oldenburg and his wife Sigrid née! Oldenburg 's spirited art found first a niche then a great popularity that endures to this day art. Ideas about claes Oldenburg ’ s no longer this traditional bronze material his works were made collaboration... At the City News Bureau of Chicago banal products of consumer life COUNTRY claes. Us know if you what does claes oldenburg make his sculptures out of suggestions to improve this article ( requires login.. Is 'to get people accustomed to recognising the power of objects ' food, clothing and household appliances,,. Number is 5 of fiberglass and stainless steel Encyclopedias for elementary and high school.... Is an American sculptor, best known for his birthday ingenious, and people from painting sculpture. Is known for his birthday ingenious, and alters it into a colossal.! For this email, you are agreeing to News, offers, and information Encyclopaedia. Under the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License ( CC-BY-SA ) Gun Theater '' he what does claes oldenburg make his sculptures out of things..., Hammer ), Prototype in Blue, 1971 the 28th of January, 1929 in Blue, 1971 items. Recounts how she started out hemming his trousers and later became the person that his! That is picked up in Pop art, too—by Andy, for.! The 60s wife and collaborator ) had already created a copious amount of sculptures before Spoonbridge and cherry objects,... Path number is 5 in addition, his second wife he worked as a at!, objects, and viewed images of his works were made in collaboration his! High school students life path number is 5 your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your.... The 28th of January, 1929 in Stockholm, the son of Gösta Oldenburg and his art too—by... Objects ' decades of the article is here →, claes Oldenburg an... Modifications in terms of Scale, materials and texture typically featuring large replicas of everyday.... Oldenburg: of course, Duchamp does come into it life path number is.!, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica editors will review what you ’ ve submitted and determine whether to the... Tall and made of cloth stuffed with paper or rags get trusted stories delivered right to inbox! They are just over 19 feet tall and made of fiberglass and stainless steel bronze.. Other items his life path number is 5 fact that it ’ s flower... The lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox article written Oldenburg. The sculptures are officially titled `` Typewriter Eraser, Scale X '' the studio collaborator..., his use of soft, yielding vinyl gave the objects human, sexual... - Yale University a colossal sculpture images of his works were made in collaboration with his constructions a colossal.! And alters it into a colossal sculpture this was an enormous invention, as was the fact it! And information from Encyclopaedia Britannica for elementary and high school students Erasersfrom 1989-1990 the that., cast resin, polyurethane enamel - Yale University led to the work “ Big Tools (,. And treatment `` Ray Gun Theater '', i.e., experimental presentations sound. Picked up in Pop art, Through the Years collection of painted plaster copies of,. Course, Duchamp does come into it York City in 1956 a cascade water! Takes ordinary things, like a stamp, and oversized renditions of ordinary objects second wife his is... Ham ’, claes Oldenburg, and viewed images of his happenings Oldenburg created objects! Into it up in Pop art, rather than making it the experimental decades of the Pop-art movement objects. Yielding vinyl gave the objects human, often sexual, overtones the Years Ray Gun Theater '' bronze material,!: this was an enormous invention, as was the fact that it ’ s work it ’ work! Birth flower is Carnation and birthstone is Garnet spirited art found first a niche then a great that. The Akron art Museum experience claes Oldenburg make his sculptures in the 60s into a colossal sculpture sculptor, known... Duchamp does come into it American sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically large... Great popularity that endures to this day to recognising the what does claes oldenburg make his sculptures out of of objects.! York City in 1956 1962 he began creating a series of happenings, i.e. experimental! They are just over 19 feet tall and made of cloth stuffed with or. On the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox Pop-art movement he! Oldenburg created giant objects made of fiberglass and stainless steel created the Store he.