R.I.P.

Claes Oldenberg, Larger-Than-Life Pop Art Sculptor, Dies at 93

“I wanted to locate art in the experience of life,” the sculptor, who was famous for creating colossal versions of everyday objects, once said.

Claes Oldenberg, the quirky godfather of Pop art, known for creating colossal sculptures out of everyday objects, died Monday at his Manhattan home. He was 93. His death was confirmed by the pair of art galleries that have long represented him, one of which added that he had suffered complications from a fall. “It was thrilling to work with Claes, whose odd take on things was delightful, and could completely turn one’s mood around,” wrote Paula Cooper, the owner of the SoHo gallery that shares her name. Born in 1929 in Stockholm, Sweden, Oldenburg moved to New York in 1956, where he was caught up in the radical new movements shaking the art world’s foundations at the time. His massive outdoor installations—including a 30-foot cherry balanced on a spoon; a 20-ton baseball bat; and a 45-foot-tall clothespin—have been displayed across the country. “Art had to mean more than just producing objects for galleries and museums,” he explained to the Los Angeles Times in 1995. “I wanted to locate art in the experience of life.”