Pop artist Claes Oldenburg is dead. The Swede died in his home in New York at the age of 93.
The pop artist Claes Oldenburg (1929-2022) is dead. The Swede died on Monday (July 18) at his home in the New York borough of Soho in Manhattan. According to the New York Times, this was confirmed by Adriana Elgarresta, a spokeswoman for the Pace Gallery in New York, who has represented him for a long time. Oldenburg was 93 years old. Alongside Andy Warhol (1928-1987) and Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), he was one of the most important representatives of Pop Art.
Claes Oldenburg and his sculptures
Claes Thure Oldenburg was born in Stockholm in 1929 but grew up in Chicago. From 1946 to 1950 he studied literature and art history at Yale University. He returned to the Midwest to study at the Art Institute of Chicago in the early 1950s. Oldenburg was already working as a graphic designer and journalist while he was still a student. In 1956 he moved to New York.
He gained particular notoriety through his sculptures, which Oldenburg made in part from simple materials. In his first exhibition in New York, his works consisted of papier-mâché and plaster. The native Swede also liked to depict everyday objects. One of his works of art can be seen in Frankfurt am Main. The sculpture “Inverted Collar and Tie”, a huge shirt collar with a tie, stands in the Westend district. Oldenburg designed the sculpture together with Coosje van Bruggen (1942-2009). The artist was also married to her from 1977 until her death.
