Born in Stockholm in 1929, Claes Oldenburg came to the United States with his family in 1936. After attending Yale University and The Art Institute of Chicago, he moved to New York where he began creating “environments” and performance art.
Oldenburg initiated his career as a figurative artist, and has worked with a plethora of materials, including burlap, plastic, newspapers, plaster, canvas, and latex. His artistic triumphs are products of his wit, skilled draftsmanship, and ability to combine innovation with tradition. In his printmaking, the artist is interested in a variety of techniques including lithography, etching, woodcut, and screenprinting, and he has printed over 250 editioned works as well as posters, pamphlets, and books. His vivid imagination and diversified mastery of media have positioned him as a prominent figure in American art for over fifty years.
Oldenburg's work is part of collections worldwide including the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin, Italy; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany; Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York; Tate Modern, London, England; Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York.