Claes Oldenburg "Balloons" Landfall Press Print

Claes Oldenburg "Balloons" Landfall Press Print
Claes Oldenburg (Swedish/American, 1929-2022). Lithograph on paper titled "Balloons" depicting three balloons in varying states of inflation, one red, one yellow, and one blue. Pencil signed along the lower right, numbered 20/30 along the lower left. Published by Landfall Press Inc., Chicago, ca. 2000. Stamped with publisher's stamp along the verso.

Provenance: Private Minnesota Collection.

Lot Essay:
Claes Oldenburg was born in Stockholm but spent his early years in Chicago. In his mid-twenties, he moved to New York where he began experimenting with soft sculptural forms before moving into works that incorporated chicken wire, everyday objects, and food items. He began participating in the early years of the Pop Art movement, meeting Jim Dine, Red Grooms, Allan Kaprow, and Robert Beauchamp.

From the early 1970s and onwards he would focus almost exclusively on public commissions, creating works for Oberlin College, the Kroller-Muller Museum, the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, the city of Cleveland, and many others. He began collaborating at this time with Coosje van Bruggen and they were married in 1977. From 1981 he began signing works with his name and van Bruggen's.

He is perhaps best known for his large sculptural installations featuring everyday objects, many of which were made in collaboration with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen. The duo is well-known in Minnesota for their iconic "Spoonbridge and Cherry" sculpture and fountain in the Walker Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis. The sculpture depicts a large spoon extending over and dipping into a body of water. At the tip of the spoon is precariously perched a bright red cherry. Since its installation in 1988, the artwork has become a symbol of the Twin Cities, appearing often in artwork, promotional material, and other depictions of the cities.
Height: 25 1/4 in x width: 28 in.
Condition: Please contact us for a detailed condition report. Please note that the lack of a condition statement does not imply perfect condition. Email condition@revereauctions.com with any condition questions.