Claes Oldenberg (1929-2022) is a Swedish-born American artist, renowned for his contribution to Pop art by way of his iconic soft sculptures and public installations.
In 1962, Oldenburg debuted his revolutionary soft sculptures at the Green Gallery in New York. Three giant, squishy sculptures of an ice cream cone, a hamburger, and a slice of cake, swelled across the gallery floor, forever changing the way we define sculpture. It has been noted that Oldenburg's early work was largely inspired by Yayoi Kusama's hand-sewn phallic-shaped soft sculptures that enveloped the surfaces of ironing boards, sofas, and boats.
Click here to see an exhibition poster featuring an example of Kusama's soft sculptures.
Ranging from voluminous hamburgers (famously on display at the AGO) to ballistic badminton shuttlecocks, Oldenberg's colossal sculptures replicate commonplace objects on a grand scale, often disrupting the environment they inhibit with curious and playful subtexts. The confrontational nature of Oldenberg's sculptures places an emphasis on the viewer, asking us to reconsider our relationship to these recognizable, but obscure, objects.
"Geometric Mouse" offers a rare glimpse into Oldenburg's process behind the scenes. This piece is an output from his Notes portfolio, a series of 12 lithographs that follows the likes of a scrapbook, combining fragments of texts, photos, and sketches that give life to the early stages of Oldenburg's ideation.
Featuring multiple renditions of the unmistakable Disney mascot, this dynamic print details the grim outcome of the character taking a tumble down the Hollywood Hills. Oldenburg includes descriptive notes that signify each stage of the process; "falling down" and "bent".
"Geometric Mouse" was the only idea from this portfolio that was actually realized. Examples of the final product are now on display at Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Museum of Modern Art, and Walker Art Center.
As Oldenburg's sculptures are selling for upwards of $2 million, his lithographs are a rare opportunity to acquire a piece by this legendary artist on a much more modest scale.
Today, Oldenburg's work is enjoyed across the globe with public sculptures spanning over 11 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia. Along with his wife and frequent collaborator, Coosje van Bruggen, Oldenburg was the recipient of numerous accolades including Distinction in Sculpture, Sculpture Center, New York (2002); and Medal Award, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2004).
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"Untitled (Geometric Mouse)" from the Notes Portfolio
USA, 1968
Lithograph
Signed and dated by artist
From an edition of 100
22.5"H 15.5"W (sheet)
23.25"H 16.24"W (framed)
Very good condition.
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