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Claes Oldenburg

American, Swedish, 1929-2022

One of the original Pop artists, Claes Oldenburg was born in Stockholm. The son of a Swedish diplomat, he spent his early years in Stockholm and Oslo until the family moved to Chicago in 1937.

Oldenburg attended Yale University, then returned to Chicago, where he worked for a newspaper and also attended drawing classes at the Art Institute. He moved to New York in 1956.

Oldenburg’s early art in New York were works of urban realism in cardboard and paper that were influenced by the work of Dubuffet and the New Realists, and were seen as a brutal response to society. In 1961 Oldenburg rented a storefront on the Lower East Side and sold brightly painted plaster objects as well as three-dimensional and wall reliefs based on hamburgers, pastries, men's and women's clothing, and other commodities. The signature soft sculptures followed, objects of commonplace household objects made of vinyl or canvas stuffed with kapok. These pieces transformed the medium — the soft sculptures are intended to be sensual experiences and commentary on our material world of objects and our relationship to them.

In 1965, still working in vinyl, plaster and cardboard, Oldenburg began making large works termed “Colossal Monuments,” which are large public sculptures with public and private meanings. In the 1970s, Oldenburg was fabricating large-scale works in durable materials such as steel, and working with Coosje van Bruggen, he had received many such public commissions in the United States and Europe.

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(Biography provided by Art Commerce)

Average Sold Price
$769
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Rolling Collar and Tie (Axsom/Platzker 259) iconic Pop Art lithograph Ed of 52
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in New York, NY
Claes Oldenburg Rolling Collar and Tie (AXSOM/PLATZKER 259), 1995 Color lithograph on rice paper Pencil signed and numbered from the limited edition of only 52 on the front Measureme...
Category

1990s Pop Art Claes Oldenburg

Materials

Lithograph, Pencil

The Soap at Baton Rouge 3-D Construction
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Artist: Claes Oldenburg Title: The Soap at Baton Rouge Edition: From the rare limited edition of 250 Medium: Cast resin, vinyl filled with aluminum silicate, screen-print on acetate ...
Category

1960s Claes Oldenburg

Materials

Resin, Screen

Ray Gun by Claes Oldenburg: screen print with raw black grey industrial texture
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in New York, NY
Ray gun is one of Oldenburg’s most iconic motifs, and the artist’s tongue-in-cheek alter ego. Oldenburg took the name from a weapon used in the show “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century ...
Category

Late 20th Century Pop Art Claes Oldenburg

Materials

Screen

ICE CREAM DESSERTS
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand initialed and numbered by the artist. Etching and aquatint in colors, on handmade paper. Image size: 13.5 X 21.25 in. Sheet size: 22.5 x 31.25 in. Framed. Edition of 50. Artwor...
Category

1970s Pop Art Claes Oldenburg

Materials

Handmade Paper, Etching, Aquatint

ICE CREAM DESSERTS
ICE CREAM DESSERTS
H 22.5 in W 31.25 in D 1 in
Parade of Women, from Deluxe (HAND SIGNED) Edition, 1 Cent Life Portfolio Ed 100
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in New York, NY
Claes Oldenburg Parade of Women from the Deluxe hand signed edition of 1 Cent Life Portfolio (Acquired from the Estate of Robert Indiana), 1964 Color lithograph on wove paper Published by E.W. Kornfeld, Germany, Written by Walasse Ting, Edited by Sam Francis Hand-signed by Claes Oldenburg on the lower right front; numbered 85/100 on the colophon page a copy of which is affixed to the back of the frame -see photo Frame included: elegantly floated and framed in hand made museum frame with UV plexiglass, and colophon page with unique edition number affixed to the back. (see photos) This hand signed work is from the Deluxe hand signed edition of only 100 - not to be confused from the unsigned edition of 2000. (None of the works from the edition of 2000 were ever signed by Oldenburg.) Hand signed editions are rarely if ever seen on the marketplace. This original lithograph, splayed across two pages, is from the Deluxe edition of the legendary 1 Cent Life Portfolio, one of the most important and celebrated artistic collaborations of the 1960s. Chinese American artist and writer Walasse Ting, in collaboration with Sam Francis, assembled a group of the most significant Pop and Abstract Expressionist artists in America, including Pop Artist Claes Oldenburg, along with the European COBRA artists to create the definitive artistic portfolio, with text by Walasse Ting. The Deluxe edition, which features hand signed prints was published in a limited edition of only 100. This is one of them. Of the 100, editions numbered 60-100, or 40 portfolios, were reserved exclusively for Artists & Collaborators. This hand signed Claes Oldenburg lithograph...
Category

1960s Pop Art Claes Oldenburg

Materials

Pencil, Lithograph

"Parade of Women" original lithograph
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1964 and published by Eberhard Kornfeld for the 1 Cent Life portfolio in an edition of 2000. Size: 16 1/4 x 22 3/4 inches (408 x 580 mm). Publ...
Category

1960s Pop Art Claes Oldenburg

Materials

Lithograph

Claes Oldenburg, Claes Oldenburg (Hand signed by Claes Oldenburg), 1992
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in New York, NY
Claes Oldenburg (Hand signed by Claes Oldenburg), 1992 Softback catalogue with stiff wraps (hand signed by Claes Oldenburg hand signed by Claes Oldenburg on the half title page 11 3/...
Category

1990s Pop Art Claes Oldenburg

Materials

Lithograph, Paper, Offset, Mixed Media, Ink

Fagends Carved in Rock, De-Accessioned from the Denver Art Museum
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in New York, NY
Claes Oldenburg Fagends Carved in Rock, De-Accessioned from the Denver Art Museum (137, Axsom and Platzker), 1975 Offset Lithograph. Hand signed and numbere...
Category

1970s Pop Art Claes Oldenburg

Materials

Offset, Graphite, Lithograph

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Claes Oldenburg art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Claes Oldenburg art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, blue, purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Claes Oldenburg in lithograph, etching, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Pop Art style. Not every interior allows for large Claes Oldenburg art, so small editions measuring 6 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Albert Al Hirschfeld, Larry Rivers, and Romare Bearden. Claes Oldenburg art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $150 and tops out at $120,000, while the average work can sell for $2,800.

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