The Public Positions of Claes Oldenburg's Objects in the 1960s

Abstract

This article traces Oldenburg's art through the 1960s and situates his practice within contemporary discourses in painting and sculpture, architecture and urbanism. It suggests that his art paralleled, and even anticipated, emerging perspectives on postmodern spaces, especially in terms of perceptual experiences in and representational strategies for the city. Beginning with The Store (1961), which might be considered his first public work, continuing with the proposals for colossal monuments (that situated gigantic objects in urban spaces), and culminating with the Lipstick (1969; that galvanized local debates about public sculpture), this essay emphasizes the importance of Oldenburg's early production and demonstrates his intentional pursuit of a more public practice.