A Swedish-born American sculptor, Claes Oldenburg is best known for transforming everyday objects into accessible, large-scale public works that gently challenge conventions by giving the familiar objects alternate meanings. In the 1960s, Oldenburg came to prominence for his "Happenings," or free-form experimental art performances, and for his soft sculptures, such as Floor Cake, Floor Burger, and Floor Cone. Hand-sewn from layers of painted canvas, the relative softness of the sculptures made the effects of gravity an integral component of the work while the strange physicality of the objects … (read more)

A Swedish-born American sculptor, Claes Oldenburg is best known for transforming everyday objects into accessible, large-scale public works that gently challenge conventions by giving the familiar objects alternate meanings. In the 1960s, Oldenburg came to prominence for his "Happenings," or free-form experimental art performances, and for his soft sculptures, such as Floor Cake, Floor Burger, and Floor Cone. Hand-sewn from layers of painted canvas, the relative softness of the sculptures made the effects of gravity an integral component of the work while the strange physicality of the objects made for new viewing experiences, turning the banal into art.

In the 1970s, Oldenburg began collaborating on public projects with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen (1942-2009). Their subjects range from clothes pins to apple cores and tubes of lipstick, bringing mass-produced domestic products of capitalist society into the openness of the public sphere. Oldenburg continues to combine monumentality with banality, employing the trademark humor that helped establish him as one of Pop art's most influential and innovative artists.

Click here for more information on Claes Oldenburg via the National Gallery of Art

Read reviews of Oldenburg's 1995 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum via Art in America and ArtForum

Watch a mini documentary on the artist via Ovation TV:

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