Paula Cooper Gallery Revives Claes Oldenburg's 'Six Themes' 50 Years After Walker Art Center Survey
'Six Themes' will debut on November 5 at the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York, showcasing Claes Oldenburg's (1929-2022) works across six distinct categories: Geometric Mouse, Three-Way Plug, Fagends, Clothespin, Typewriter Eraser, and Standing Mitt with Ball. The exhibition, which runs until December 19, draws its title from a 1975 survey by the Walker Art Center and features seldom-seen pieces from Oldenburg's estate and private collections. Oldenburg focused on crafting new objects instead of merely presenting found items, often altering their scale. Among his significant public installations are 'Spoonbridge and Cherry' (1988), 'Big Sweep' (2006), and 'Typewriter Eraser, Scale X' (1998-99). His 1961 work, 'I Am For…', served as a 'slightly satirical ode' to city life.
Key facts
- 'Six Themes' opens November 5 and runs through December 19 at Paula Cooper Gallery in New York
- The six themes are Geometric Mouse, Three-Way Plug, Fagends, Clothespin, Typewriter Eraser, and Standing Mitt with Ball
- The exhibition title references the 1975 Walker Art Center survey, which traveled to Denver, Seattle, New Orleans, and Toronto
- Works come from the artist's estate and private collections, including rarely seen examples
- Claes Oldenburg lived from 1929 to 2022
- 'Spoonbridge and Cherry' (1988) was made with Coosje van Bruggen for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
- 'Typewriter Eraser, Scale X' (1998-99) is in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.
- Oldenburg's 'I Am For…' appeared in a 1961 exhibition catalogue and runs about 700 words
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Paula Cooper Gallery
- Walker Art Center
- Denver Art Museum
- Seattle Art Museum
- New Orleans Museum of Art
- Art Gallery of Ontario
- Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
- National Gallery of Art
- MIT Hayden Gallery
- Colossal
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Minneapolis
- Minnesota
- Denver
- Colorado
- Seattle
- Washington
- New Orleans
- Louisiana
- Toronto
- Canada
- Washington, D.C.
- Philadelphia
- Cambridge
- Massachusetts