Claes Oldenburg

Claes Oldenburg (1929–2022) was a Swedish-American artist and one of the most significant leading figures of Pop Art. He became famous for his monumental sculptures, through which he transformed everyday objects into gigantic, often humorous works of art in public spaces. He realised many of these large-scale projects in collaboration with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen. With his humorous yet profound depictions of everyday objects, he has been one of the most important and popular artists since the late 1950s.

In 2012, the exhibition “Claes Oldenburg – The 60s” saw the mumok in Vienna and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne dedicate themselves for the first time to the artist’s early work, presenting a comprehensive overview of his oeuvre from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. In particular, his “soft sculptures” of everyday objects and American pop culture, along with the “Mouse Museum”, are among the artist’s most important works, created before he began crafting his large metal sculptures in the 1970s.

Filmmaker Ralph Goertz was given the opportunity to accompany the artist whilst the exhibitions were being set up at mumok in Vienna and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, and visited him at his New York studio in 2016. The result is a very personal portrait of this exceptional artist.

Claes Oldenburg

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