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Claes Oldenburg
Fire Plug Souvenir - 'Chicago August 1968' (Platzker 10)

1968

About the Item

Cast plaster with acrylic paint. Sculpture Size: 7.875 x 7.5 x 5.875 inches. Inscription: Hand signed m in black felt-tip pen and numbered 75/100, as issued. Catalogue raisonné reference: Oldenburg, Claes, et al. Claes Oldenburg: Multiples in Retrospect, 1964-1990. Rizzoli, 1991, illustration 10. Notes: Published by Richard Feigen Gallery, Chicago, 1967 in an edition of C. Additional notes: Oldenburg's politically motivated Fire Plug Souvenir - 'Chicago August 1968' demonstrates the democratic ideals that were manifest in Pop Art of the 1960's. The Richard Feigen Gallery of Chicago asked Oldenburg to contribute a multiple to be sold at their exhibition aimed to raise funds for the ACLU in October of 1968. The previous August, the ACLU had handled the case of those arrested for protesting Mayor Richard J. Daley's brutal response to demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention. The fireplugs were of the scale of a cobblestone, which Oldenburg related to revolutionary activity. Although the multiples took on a diminutive scale, he maintained the hard materiality that one associates with a functioning fire plug by using cast plaster and acrylic paint. However, he adjusted the geometry of form and redefined the lines of his fireplug so that it resembled a stuffed animal. The confusion of form, function, material, and scale redefine the commodity of an object. CLAES OLDENBURG (1929-2022) was a Swedish-born American sculptor best known for his public art installations, typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. During his prolific 60-year career, Claes Oldenburg has used sculpture, collage, performance, and monumental public artworks to explore the mystery and power of such commonplace objects as a tube of lipstick, a bag of French fries, and a toilet seat. He changes the scale, shape, color, or texture of these familiar items, creating surprising and often humorous forms that encourage us to experience our environment differently. During the early 1960s, these works established Oldenburg as one of the leading practitioners of Pop Art. Today he is best known for his iconic public sculptures, such as the Walker’s Spoonbridge and Cherry (1985–1988), which dot urban landscapes throughout the United States and Europe.
  • Creator:
    Claes Oldenburg (1929, American, Swedish)
  • Creation Year:
    1968
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 7.875 in (20.01 cm)Width: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)Depth: 5.875 in (14.93 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Auburn Hills, MI
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1465216420132

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