These two early exhibitions by Claes Oldenburg (Stockholm, 1929) established the IVAM’s clear conceptual stance and high level of demand regarding its research and dissemination of Pop art. A Bottle of Notes and Some Voyages, with Coosje van Bruggen, shows Oldenburg’s work as a sculptor of works in public spaces, where everyday objects are gigantically reproduced, impacting their domestic ubiquity and usage. A toothbrush, a melting plug, a bottle with its own message cut into its surface, a saw, a torch, screw or used match, are all turned into monuments – sculptures, in short – reminding us of their function as objects by their conversion into art pieces.
Dibujos 1959-1989 gathered together thirty years of the artist’s work in ninety drawn projects, only some of which later became projects for public sculptures. Both of these exhibitions travelled to the IVAM on itineraries shared with other European art centres, consolidating the museum’s international position. Oldenburg sees his work as relating to the trifles of everyday existence, and to spontaneous accidents that acquire an immutable presence in the form of massive objects.
