2. Claes Oldenburg was born in Stockholm, Sweden but came to
the United States and grew up in Chicago, Illinois.
He took classes at The School of
the Art Institute of Chicago.
His first sales of artworks were at
a art street fair in Chicago, he
sold 5 items for a total price of
$25.
3. His first sculptures were soft. Like this sculpture
made of foam and canvas called Soft Bathtub.
24. My mother warned me to avoid
things colored red.
--Claes Oldenburg
25. The Giant Rubber Stamp was created by Claes Oldenburg. The 28
feet tall by 48 feet wide stamp was commissioned by the Amoco
Oil Company in 1985. It was intended to be displayed in Amoco's
lobby but ended up in storage in Indiana for seven years. In
1991, it was donated to Cleveland.
26. The word free has several meanings. In this case free
was designed to parallel the freedom of slaves but also
-- because the stamp pressed down on the word free --
that many today still are not free."