Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life

July 5, 2025–Apr 27, 2026

A loosely drawn refrigerator with shelves holding colorful food items, with the words “ice box” written below.

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 in this exhibition, 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.

Installation photography

Installation view of Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, July 5, 2025-). From left to right: Study for the Poster, New Media—New Forms, Martha Jackson Gallery, 1960; Man and Woman Walking on Street—Woman in Front, 1960; Man and Woman Walking on Street—Woman in Front, 1960; Newspaper Stocking Against Newspaper Ads—“CHROMEQUEEN”, 1962; Proposed Colossal Monument for Central Park North, N.Y.C. —Teddy Bear, 1965; Baked Potato, Thrown in Corner, under Light Bulb, 1965; Proposal for a Skyscraper in the Form of a Chicago Fireplug, 1968; Proposed Colossal Monument for Lower East Side—Ironing Board, 1965; Proposal for a Cathedral in the Form of a Colossal Faucet, Lake Union, Seattle, 1972; Typewriter Erasers—Position Studies, 1970; The Letters “L” and “O” in Landscape, 1968; Various Positions of Giant Lipstick to Replace the Fountain of Eros, Piccadilly Circus, London, 1966. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, July 5, 2025-). From left to right: Various Positions of Giant Lipstick to Replace the Fountain of Eros, Piccadilly Circus, London, 1966; Study for a Soft Toilet, 1965; Ketchup, Thick and Thin—from a N.Y.C. Billboard, 1965; Icebox, 1963; Banana, 1966; Study for Announcement for One-Man Show at Dwan Gallery—Mickey Mouse with Red Heart, 1963. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of “Untitled” (America) and Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, July 5, 2025-). From left to right: Edward Ruscha, Large Trademark with Eight Spotlights, 1962; Claes Oldenburg, Proposed Colossal Monument for Central Park North, N.Y.C. —Teddy Bear, 1965; Claes Oldenburg, Baked Potato, Thrown in Corner, under Light Bulb, 1965; Claes Oldenburg, Proposal for a Skyscraper in the Form of a Chicago Fireplug, 1968; Claes Oldenburg, Proposed Colossal Monument for Lower East Side—Ironing Board, 1965; Claes Oldenburg, Proposal for a Cathedral in the Form of a Colossal Faucet, Lake Union, Seattle, 1972. Photograph by Ron Amstutz