Renowned artist Claes Oldenburg (1929-2022) was born in Sweden and raised in the United States, where he pursued his artistic education. His art evolved in the 1960s, establishing him as one of the foremost figures of pop art. Initially inspired by Jean Dubuffet, Oldenburg created collages and assemblages using materials such as cardboard and burlap. He molded these materials into imitations of objects he found on the streets. In the spirit of pop art, his favored subjects were primarily everyday objects and food items. In 1961, he presented a store full of clothes and food made of plaster, available for purchase. His expressions were playful and surprising, yet critical, and were a part of the American version of pop art, which questioned the concept of art itself.
From 1962 onwards, his objects grew larger and often had a disorienting effect. Sometimes, this was due to the scale Oldenburg employed, and sometimes due to the deceptive suggestion of the material. For instance, he crafted a wooden replica of a saw and sculptures in the form of a power outlet using foam rubber and fabric. In this way, he emphasized the properties of these mundane objects by denying them.
In 1965, Oldenburg designed colossal monuments, consisting of greatly magnified mundane objects, placed in existing locations. He depicted these fantasies in collages and drawings, using dramatic perspective to evoke a sense of grandeur. Some of these ideas were brought to life in the 1970s and 1980s. The demands of creating objects for public spaces and the scale at which they were executed made durability a necessary consideration. The materials used may have changed, but the subjects remained banal. A trowel, a clothespin, a screw: these are everyday objects on a heroic scale and location.
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