Claes Oldenburg Born January 28 1929 Swedish American

Claes Oldenburg • Born January 28, 1929 • Swedish American sculptor • Best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas

Claes Oldenburg (1929 - )

• Claes Oldenburg was born in Sweden in 1929 and became an American citizen in 1953. • He attended Yale University and then studied at the Art Institute of Chicago while working as a reporter and illustrator. • Oldenburg moved to New York in 1956 and joined a group of artists who were united in their distaste for Abstract Expressionism. • In 1961, Oldenburg opened “The Store, ” where he sold plaster sculptures of food products and other domestic items. • His work in this genre of sculpture made him a leader of Pop Art. • He also is known for his large-scale sculpture, primarily focusing on this genre after 1976.

• What is unique about this sculpture? • Scale - the size of a thing compared to the things around it • Pop Art – an art style during the 1960’s that used common things or people as the main idea

What is this a sculpture of?

• Claes Oldenburg Profiterole, 1990 cast aluminum edition sculpture hand painted by the artist 6" x 8 1/8" x 8 5/8" (15. 2 x 20. 6 x 21. 9 cm) edition of 75 CO 88 -2152