Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life

Best known for his sculptures of everyday objects rendered in unexpected textures or dimensions, Claes Oldenburg (1929–2022) once proclaimed, “I am for an art that takes its form from the lines of life itself.” His innovations in sculpture emerged out of his drawing practice, which enabled him to swiftly record and transform the contours of the world around him. Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life focuses on the artist’s drawings from the 1960s in which he playfully reimagined the spaces—streets, stores, homes—and objects of daily life. This selection from the Whitney’s extensive collection of Oldenburg's works on paper attests to his wide range as a draftsman and expanded definition of life drawing.

Oldenburg's earliest body of work, The Street (1959–60), channels influences from everyday modes of drawing, such as urban graffiti and children’s art, into visceral portrayals of city life. Oldenburg turned to comics and advertising illustration as inspiration for his two subsequent series, The Store (1961–64) and The Home (1963–69), which include exuberant drawings of food, clothing, and household appliances that informed his colorful, cartoonish “soft” sculptures. In 1965 Oldenburg began sketching enlarged versions of his favorite commonplace items—including fire hydrants, baked potatoes, and teddy bears—towering over cityscapes. Although these works were titled Proposed Colossal Monuments (1965–69), they remained fanciful notions until Oldenburg began building large-scale, outdoor sculptures in 1969.

Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life is organized by Antonia Pocock, Curatorial Assistant.