(Claes Olderburg )is not in the mainstream, but you might recognize some of his enormous sculptors. If you have ever been to (Philadelphia,) you might have noticed a large dark brown( clothespin )in the heart of the city outside (Philadelphia city hall.)

It was one sculpture I grew up with since most of my family is from the Philadelphia area.

I love his ( sculptures) because they are so unique yet so simple. They are of ordinary objects that you might see around your house and other sculptures are also ordinary but have been distorted by Oldenburg like his sculpture (“The soft bathtub)” witch is a sculpture of a bathtub made of wood and plaster but designed to look like cloth.

His sculptures are often painted with bright colors and distorted frames. Or in the case of “The Soft Bathtub” sculptor ranges from light grey to shades of dark grey in the wrinkles.

Claes Oldenburg was born in( Stockholm)(Sweden) a country known for it’s openness and more relaxed approach to life. It is a country that is more likely to embrace different cultures and ideas.

Olden burgs father was a Swedish( diplomat) so he often visited different countries.

Claes Oldenburg’s birth date is on January twenty eighth nineteen twenty nine while( the united states )was at the climax of the roaring twenties but would soon come to a screeching halt later that year when the( stock market crashed). And what would follow to make matters worse was the (Dust Bowl )witch happened to the mid west were almost no rain fell and huge dust storms blew across the prairie wiping out what grass was there. So the farmers with out food for their live stock would be forced to move out of their beloved plains to move out west. This was all during the( great depression.)

Oldenburg and his family moved to the U.S during this period in nineteen thirty six were his family out rode the great depression. They first moved to New York and then to Chicago were he attended (Yale University )from nineteen forty six to nineteen fifty. He studied at (The ART institute of Chicago) until nineteen fifty four under the supervision of( Paul Wieghardt).

Oldenburg worked at( the City News Bureau of Chicago )but didn’t stay long.

He loved art and created it and purchased his own. In nineteen fifty three he became a U.S citizen. Also in that same year, he purchased his own studio. Also in that same year, he sold five pieces of art at the fifty seventh street (Chicago Art Fair) for a total of twenty five dollars.

In nineteen fifty six he moved to( New York )to make a name for himself and hoped he would get noticed. While at New York , he met a few professional artist’s such as( Jim Dine,)( Red Grooms )and (Allan Kapro) who’s( happenings )showed alternative themes other than( abstract )witch was popular at the time.

A happening is a theatrical performance based on a certain piece of art or artist.

Oldenburg’ of course is well known for his gigantic sculptors. The first recognized sculpture was a soft sculpture witch is a piece made out of cloth and pumped full of air so it inflates. This sculptor was called “ A tube of Lipstick”. Later he improved on this idea by creating the new sculptor made out of aluminum called (“A tube of lipstick on a Cattipilar.”) That now stands outside (Morris college) in the court yard.

So after that success, he had dug into his creative mind and decided to think big. At first people made fun of his sculptures saying that they were not even art but in the (nineteen sixties) a more openness prevailed and Oldenburg’s new enormous sculptures were embraced by the public.

His sculptures were associated with the( Pop Art Movement )witch began in the (nineteen fifties )but came to define the sixties.

He attended many happenings witch he proudly named (“The Ray Gun Theater)” He met his first wife as she had sewn many of his earlier soft sculptors who’s name was( Pat Muschinsky. )The funny thing about his sculptures was they were so ordinary but created in such a large scale witch made them a lot of fun to look at.

One of his most recognized works in witch I grew up with was my favorite sculpture since my parents and grandparents lived in Philadelphia was the dark enormous clothespin that sits outside (city hall )in the center city area.

Oldenburg eventually met and married the( Dutch )and( American Pop sculpture Coosje Vanbruggen )who would later help Oldenburg with his sculptures.

He had many works including “The Soft Bathtub” made in nineteen sixty six witch sits outside TheHirshhom Museum,( “The Cruso Umbrella)” made by him and Vanbruggen in nineteen seventy nine witch is located in( Nollen Plaza)( Des Moines)( Iowa,)( “The spoonbridge and cherry sculpture” )for the (Walker Art Center in Minneapolis)(, the “Dropped Cone)” witch is a sculpture of an upside down ice cream cone on a scoop of ice cream witch was made in two thousand one on top of a shopping center in (Cologne)( Germany). He also made a( split button,)( an upside down tooth brush )and a( typewriter eraser. )