Claes Oldenburg Overview

In the event that you're too busy to notice the little things in life, sculptor Claes Oldenburg has made them big for you. Oldenburg is most famous for his monuments to absurdity, such as the enormous spoon and cherry sculpture that... [more]

In the event that you're too busy to notice the little things in life, sculptor Claes Oldenburg has made them big for you. Oldenburg is most famous for his monuments to absurdity, such as the enormous spoon and cherry sculpture that shades the lawn of the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis. The Swiss sculptor makes the mundane monumental, creating an ironic tension between banality and intensity. The increased scale turns inanimate objects into characters who enter a surreal dialogue with viewers and landscapes. For example, in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam era, he installed an eight-meter-high tube of lipstick on caterpillar tank tracks -- evoking the image of a huge phallic missile while also undermining macho chest-beating with an imposing feminine object. During the 1960s, Oldenburg became involved in Happenings, dealing mostly with props and environments. He created his first environment in 1960; the street scene included traffic signs, cardboard cut-outs of people and cars, and found objects. He introduced soft sculptures in his second 'Store' environment; these giant items, usually depicting food or clothing, are sewn and stuffed with fabric. Because he depicts objects from everyday life, his work is associated with Pop art. While it may seem that he's interested in making the functional functionless, his intention goes deeper: "I am for an art that takes its form from the lines of life, that twists and extends impossibly and accumulates and spits and drips and is as sweet and stupid as life itself." [show less]