Claes Oldenburg Swedish-American, 1929-2022

Claes Oldenburg (1929–2022) was a Swedish-born American sculptor and a leading figure of Pop Art, best known for transforming everyday objects into monumental works of art. After studying at Yale and the Art Institute of Chicago, he emerged in New York’s avant-garde scene in the early 1960s, staging experimental “Happenings” and opening The Store, filled with painted replicas of consumer goods. His playful “soft sculptures” of hamburgers, ice cream cones, and household items challenged traditional ideas of sculpture by reimagining the ordinary as extraordinary.

In later decades, Oldenburg collaborated with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen, to create large-scale public installations such as Clothespin (Philadelphia, 1976) and Spoonbridge and Cherry (Minneapolis, 1988). Their works combined humor, whimsy, and cultural commentary, making art accessible in everyday spaces. Celebrated with honors including the National Medal of Arts, Oldenburg’s legacy endures in his iconic sculptures that continue to reshape how we see the objects of daily life.