Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
American, 1929 and 1942
The towering public sculptures of husband-and-wife collaborators Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen are instantly recognizable for their whimsical Pop Art quality. Built primarily out of Cor-ten steel, the structures are monumental, brightly painted replicas of ordinary objects that appear comical because of their size and the incongruity of their surroundings. Among the duo’s most recognizable sculptures are the public artwork Clothespin (1976), installed in Centre Square Plaza, Philadelphia, and Spoonbridge and Cherry (1988), installed at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Though characteristically cartoonish, the latter is also a functioning fountain, which dramatically changes the character of the sculpture as the seasons change.
The towering public sculptures of husband-and-wife collaborators Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen are instantly recognizable for their whimsical Pop Art quality. Built primarily out of Cor-ten steel, the structures are monumental, brightly painted replicas of ordinary objects that appear comical because of their size and the incongruity of their surroundings. Among the duo’s most recognizable sculptures are the public artwork Clothespin (1976), installed in Centre Square Plaza, Philadelphia, and Spoonbridge and Cherry (1988), installed at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Though characteristically cartoonish, the latter is also a functioning fountain, which dramatically changes the character of the sculpture as the seasons change.
