Claes Oldenburg b.1929) Swedish pop artist Claes Oldenburg arrived in the United States in 1936. After completing his studies at Yale University and taking courses at the Art Institute of Chicago, Oldenburg moved to New York City. In the 1950s Oldenburg met Jim Dine and Allan Kaprow, with whom he collaborated on the creation of Happenings, a non-traditional theater inspired by Jackson Pollocks paintings. It was also at this time that Oldenburg began arranging his first sculptural assemblages and creating his environments, such as The Store. By the 1960s, Oldenburg was creating soft sculptures, which led to his famous oversized pieces.

Giant Three-Way Plug 1970 15ft. 1in x 17ft. 6in.Oberlin College, Oberlin Missouri

Balancing Tools, 1984 Steel painted with polyurethane enamel 26 ft. 3 in. x 29 ft. 6 in. x 19 ft. 10 in. Vitra International AG, Weil am Rhein, Germany

Knife Ship II, 1986 Steel, aluminum, wood; painted with polyurethane enamel Extended, with oars: 26 ft. 4 in. x 31 ft. 6 in. x 82 ft. 11 in. height with large blade raised: 31 ft. 8 in. ft. 10 in. Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles

Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1988 Stainless steel and aluminum painted with polyurethane enamel 29 ft. 6 in. x 51 ft. 6 in. x 13 ft. 6 in. Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Free Stamp, 1991 Steel and aluminum painted with polyurethane enamel 28 ft. 10 in. x 26 ft. x 49 ft. Willard Park, Cleveland, Ohio

Shuttlecocks, 1994 Aluminum and fiber-reinforced plastic painted with polyurethane enamel Four shuttlecocks, each 17 ft. 11 in. high x 15 ft. 1 in. (crown diameter and 4 ft. nose diameter, sited in different positions on the grounds of the museum The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri

Corridor Pin, Blue, 1999 Stainless steel and aluminum painted with polyurethane enamel, edition 21 ft. 3 in. x 21 ft. 2 in. x 1 ft. 4 in. Courtesy of Grant Selwyn Fine Art, New York and Los Angeles

(Needle, Thread and Knot), 2000 Brushed stainless steel and fiber-reinforced plastic painted with polyester gelcoat and polyurethane enamel Needle and thread: 59 ft. high Piazzale Cadorna, Milan, Italy

Flying Pins, 2000 Steel, fiber-reinforced plastic, foam, epoxy; painted with polyester gelcoat and polyurethane enamel Ten pins, each: 24 ft. 7 in. high x 7 ft. 7 in. widest diameter ball: 9 ft. 2 in. (2.8 m) high x 21 ft. 12 in. diameter Intersection of John F. Kennedylaan and Fellenoord Avenues, Eindhoven, the Netherlands

Plantoir,2001 Stainless steel, aluminum, fiber-reinforced plastic, painted with polyurethane enamel, edition 3/3; 23 ft. 11 in. x 4 ft. 5 in. x 4 ft. 9 in. Collection Meredith Corporation, courtesy of PaceWildenstein

Dropped Cone, 2001 Stainless and galvanized steels, fiber-reinforced plastic, balsawood; painted with polyester gelcoat 39 ft. 10 in. high x 19 ft. diameter height above building: 32 ft. 10 in. Neumarkt Galerie, Cologne, Germany

Split Button, 1981 Aluminum painted with polyurethane enamel 16 ft. diameter x 10 in. thick height from ground when sited: 4 ft. 11 in. Levy Park, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Clothespin, 1976 Cor-Ten and stainless steels 45 ft. x 12 ft. 3 in. x 4 ft. 6 in. Centre Square Plaza, Fifteenth and Market Streets, Philadelphia , PA