Claes Oldenburg

(American, 1929–2022)

Claes Oldenburg is a Swedish-born American sculptor known for his innovative and humorous reconstructions of everyday objects in both large-scale public installations and soft materials. Along with Tom Wesselmann, Jasper Johns, and Allan Kaprow, Oldenburg is associated with the Pop Art movement. “Because my work is naturally non-meaningful, the meaning found in it will remain doubtful and inconsistent—which is the way it should be,” he explained of his work. “All that I care about is that, like any startling piece of nature, it should be capable of stimulating meaning.” Born on January 28, 1929 in Stockholm, Sweden, his family moved to America in 1936. Oldenburg went on to study at Yale University before working at the City News Bureau in Chicago and attending the Art Institute of Chicago before moving to New York in 1953. His early shows featured objects assembled with images, papier mâché, and plaster. In 1957, Oldenburg created his first “soft sculpture,” Sausage, a free-hanging woman's stocking stuffed with newspaper. Thereafter, his work began to increase in scale, beginning with The Store (1961), an immersive installation created within a rented storefront in the Lower East Side where the artist sold food and store goods recast as plaster sculptures. By the 1970s, Oldenburg focused his attention on monumental outdoor public sculpture of everyday objects, going to create Free Stamp in Cleveland and Clothespin in Philadelphia. Oldenburg often collaborated with his wife, the artist Coosje van Bruggen, until her death in 2009. The artist continues to live and work in New York, NY. Today, his works are included in the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Tate Gallery in London, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, among others.

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Claes Oldenburg, the Leading Pop-Art Sculptor Who Turned Hamburgers and Erasers Into Whimsical Totems of the 20th Century, Has Died at 93

by Eileen Kinsella
Claes Oldenburg, the Leading Pop-Art Sculptor Who Turned Hamburgers and Erasers Into Whimsical Totems of the 20th Century, Has Died at 93

Claes Oldenburg Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Claes Oldenburg (4,089 results)
Soft Saxophone (Black & White), 1992

Claes Oldenburg

Soft Saxophone (Black & White), 1992

Sale Date: May 9, 2024

Auction Closed

Party for Oyvind, 1967

Claes Oldenburg

Party for Oyvind, 1967

Sale Date: April 22, 2024

Auction Closed

Hats Vesuvius, 1973

Claes Oldenburg

Hats Vesuvius, 1973

Sale Date: April 25, 2024

Auction Closed

System of Iconography--Plug, Mouse, Good..., 1970

Claes Oldenburg

System of Iconography--Plug, Mouse, Good..., 1970

Sale Date: April 25, 2024

Auction Closed

Miniature Soft Drum Set (Axsom & Platzker 61), 1970

Claes Oldenburg

Miniature Soft Drum Set (Axsom & Platzker 61), 1970

Sale Date: April 19, 2024

Auction Closed

Notebook Torn in Half, 1997

Claes Oldenburg

Notebook Torn in Half, 1997

Sale Date: April 18, 2024

Auction Closed

Butt for Gantt (from the Harvey Gantt..., 1991

Claes Oldenburg

Butt for Gantt (from the Harvey Gantt..., 1991

Sale Date: April 18, 2024

Auction Closed

Fagends Carved in Rock, 1975

Claes Oldenburg

Fagends Carved in Rock, 1975

Sale Date: April 18, 2024

Auction Closed

Baked Potato, from 7 Objects in a Box (P. 3), 1966

Claes Oldenburg

Baked Potato, from 7 Objects in a Box (P. 3), 1966

Sale Date: April 17, 2024

Auction Closed

Untitled (Body Buildings), from Notes , 1968

Claes Oldenburg

Untitled (Body Buildings), from Notes , 1968

Sale Date: April 24, 2024

Auction Closed

Untitled (Geometric Mouse), from Notes , 1968

Claes Oldenburg

Untitled (Geometric Mouse), from Notes , 1968

Sale Date: April 24, 2024

Auction Closed

Geometric Mouse - Scale D

Claes Oldenburg

Geometric Mouse - Scale D

Sale Date: April 29, 2024

Auction Closed

Broken Button, 1981

Claes Oldenburg

Broken Button, 1981

Sale Date: April 23, 2024

Auction Closed

SOFT TOILET #1, 1972

Claes Oldenburg

SOFT TOILET #1, 1972

Sale Date: April 25, 2024

Auction Closed

NOTEBOOK TORN IN HALF, 1997

Claes Oldenburg

NOTEBOOK TORN IN HALF, 1997

Sale Date: April 26, 2024

Auction Closed

Typewriter Eraser, 1970

Claes Oldenburg

Typewriter Eraser, 1970

Sale Date: April 13, 2024

Auction Closed

Fagends Carved in Rock, 1972

Claes Oldenburg

Fagends Carved in Rock, 1972

Sale Date: April 11, 2024

Auction Closed

Proposal For A Civic Monument, 1982

Claes Oldenburg

Proposal For A Civic Monument, 1982

Sale Date: March 20, 2024

Auction Closed

Geometric Mouse Scale D, 1971

Claes Oldenburg

Geometric Mouse Scale D, 1971

Sale Date: April 11, 2024

Auction Closed

Designs for a Cat Carrier, Provincetown, 1960, 1972

Claes Oldenburg

Designs for a Cat Carrier, Provincetown, 1960, 1972

Sale Date: March 31, 2024

Auction Closed

Miniature Soft Drum Set, 1969

Claes Oldenburg

Miniature Soft Drum Set, 1969

Sale Date: March 20, 2024

Auction Closed

Broken Button, 1981

Claes Oldenburg

Broken Button, 1981

Sale Date: March 20, 2024

Auction Closed

Balloons, 2000

Claes Oldenburg

Balloons, 2000

Sale Date: March 21, 2024

Auction Closed

Study for Standing Mitt, 1975

Claes Oldenburg

Study for Standing Mitt, 1975

Sale Date: March 20, 2024

Auction Closed

English (US)

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