“I am for an art that takes its form from the lines of life itself, that twists and extends and accumulates and spits and drips, and is heavy and coarse and blunt and sweet and stupid as life itself.”
Claes Oldenburg (January 28, 1929 – July 18, 2022) was a Swedish-born American sculptor renowned for his monumental public art installations and pioneering contributions to Pop Art. After moving to the United States in 1936, he studied at Yale University and the Art Institute of Chicago before immersing himself in New York’s avant-garde scene in the late 1950s. Oldenburg gained recognition for his “soft sculptures” of everyday objects and oversized replicas of consumer goods, challenging traditional notions of scale and form. With humor and wit, Oldenburg transformed ordinary items into extraordinary artistic statements, leaving an indelible mark on contemporary art.
Oldenburg’s work is celebrated in numerous prominent museums and collections worldwide, underscoring his legacy as a pioneer of Pop Art and public sculpture. The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York holds one of the most extensive collections of his works, including 30 pieces that span his career. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has also showcased his groundbreaking early installations, such as The Store and The Street. Internationally, the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands features his monumental outdoor sculpture Trowel I. Additionally, his iconic public works, often created with his wife and collaborator Coosje van Bruggen, are represented in major collections such as the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis (Spoonbridge and Cherry) and the Guggenheim Museum (Freighter and Sailboat).