House Ball with Fallen Toy Bear, 1997; Pigment print on Japanese watercolor paper; Signed Oldenburg in pencil lower right and numbered 22/50 in pencil lower left; Published by Contemporary Editions; Framed with a linen liner, black wood frame, and plexiglass; Size - Sheet 35 1/2" x 44", Frame 40 1/2 x 49".
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"I am for an art that is political-erotical-mystical, that does something more than sit on its ass in a museum." - Claes Oldenburg
To purchase this work or to visit the Art Gallery, CLICK HERE
"I am for an art that is political-erotical-mystical, that does something more than sit on its ass in a museum." - Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg is an American sculptor living and working in New York and he is best known for his public art installations, which usually feature either very large replicas or soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. Many of the works were made in collaboration with his wife of 32 years, Coosje van Bruggen; who passed away in 2009.
Close up of "House Ball with Fallen Toy Bear"
Close up of the Fallen Toy Bear.
Oldenburg began working with with the idea of soft sculpture in 1957, when he completed a free-hanging piece made from a woman's stocking stuffed with newspaper (titled later as "Sausage"). In 1959, he began to make figures, signs, and objects out of papier-mâché, sacking, and other rough materials. This was followed in 1961 by objects created out of plaster and enamel, drawing inspiration from food and cheap clothing. In the 1960s he was very involved with the "Happenings" movement and his own productions were entitled "Ray Gun Theater." His artistic collaboration involved other members of the art scene and included: Lucas Samaras, Tom Wesselman, Carolee Schneemann, Oyvind Fahlstrom, Richard Artschwager, art dealer Annina Nosei, art critic Barbara Rose, and screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer. In December 1961, he rented a storefront on Manhattan's Lower East Side to house "The Store;" a month-long installation he had first presented at the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York, stocked with rough sculptures of consumer goods.
Close up of the Oldenburg signature.
Close up of the Oldenburg signature.
Close up of the edition number.
Oldenburg moved to Los Angeles, California in 1963. By 1965 he had turned his attention to drawings and projects for imagined outdoor monuments. The first appearance of "Houseball" was the 1985 performance "Il Corso del Coltello;" which was based on the idea that individuals could gather all of their possessions into a large cloth, tie them up in the form of a ball, and roll them to their next location. In the performance, the "Houseball" was made up of possessions owned by the character Georgia Sandbag, played by Coosje, that accompanied her on a journey across the Alps. Coosje later came to see the "Houseball" as a symbol of displaced refugee populations, and in 1993 she proposed a permanent larger version of the sculpture near what had been Checkpoint Charlie, the gate entry for the Berlin Wall. The sculpture was approved, however the site was returned to it's former owners who had been displaced during World War II.
The first appearance of the "Houseball" sculpture was in Bonn Germany, in front of "Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik." The following year the sculpture was moved to it's permanent site in Berlin, the Bethlehemkirch-Platz, directly in front of a building designed by Philip Johnson.
"House Ball with Fallen Toy Bear" is a wonderful graphic by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, with the "Houseball" sculpture as it's subject. The work was created using Oldenburg's iconic draftsman style and illustrates the "House Ball" with ladder, stool, chair, washboard, and other household items tied up within a cloth ball. Having fallen away from the ball is a child's stuffed toy teddy bear, symbolizing both items left behind as well as displaced children. A beautiful and powerful work in large scale format; as the framed artwork measures an impressive 40 1/2" x 49".
The first appearance of the "Houseball" sculpture was in Bonn Germany, in front of "Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik." The following year the sculpture was moved to it's permanent site in Berlin, the Bethlehemkirch-Platz, directly in front of a building designed by Philip Johnson.
"House Ball with Fallen Toy Bear" is a wonderful graphic by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, with the "Houseball" sculpture as it's subject. The work was created using Oldenburg's iconic draftsman style and illustrates the "House Ball" with ladder, stool, chair, washboard, and other household items tied up within a cloth ball. Having fallen away from the ball is a child's stuffed toy teddy bear, symbolizing both items left behind as well as displaced children. A beautiful and powerful work in large scale format; as the framed artwork measures an impressive 40 1/2" x 49".
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