Description

Book Synopsis
Claes Oldenburg's commitment to familiar objects has shaped accounts of his career, but his associations with Pop art and postwar consumerism have overshadowed another crucial aspect of his work. In this revealing reassessment, Katherine Smith traces Oldenburg's profound responses to shifting urban conditions, framing his enduring relationship with the city as a critical perspective and conceiving his art as urban theory. Smith argues that Oldenburg adapted lessons of context, gleaned from New York's changing cityscape in the late 1950s, to large-scale objects and architectural plans. By examining disparate projects from New York to Los Angeles, she situates Oldenburg's innovations in local geographies and national debates. In doing so, Smith illuminates patterns of urbanization through the important contributions of one of the leading artists in the United States.

Trade Review

"Smith's book will be valuable for those interested in urban art, multidisciplinary urbanism, or the history of ideas."


* CHOICE *

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments

Introduction
1. Streets
2. Stores
3. Holes
4. Plugs
5. Binoculars
Epilogue

Notes
Bibliography
List of Illustrations
Index

Accidental Possibilities of the City Claes

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    A Hardback by Katherine Smith

    £46.75

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    RRP £55.00 – you save £8.25 (15%)

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      Book details

      Publisher University of California Press
      Published 2 March 2021
      ISBN-13 9780520305489
      978-0520305489
      ISBN-10 0520305485
      Also in:
      Art & Photography History of art Non-graphic and electronic art forms

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Claes Oldenburg's commitment to familiar objects has shaped accounts of his career, but his associations with Pop art and postwar consumerism have overshadowed another crucial aspect of his work. In this revealing reassessment, Katherine Smith traces Oldenburg's profound responses to shifting urban conditions, framing his enduring relationship with the city as a critical perspective and conceiving his art as urban theory. Smith argues that Oldenburg adapted lessons of context, gleaned from New York's changing cityscape in the late 1950s, to large-scale objects and architectural plans. By examining disparate projects from New York to Los Angeles, she situates Oldenburg's innovations in local geographies and national debates. In doing so, Smith illuminates patterns of urbanization through the important contributions of one of the leading artists in the United States.

      Trade Review

      "Smith's book will be valuable for those interested in urban art, multidisciplinary urbanism, or the history of ideas."


      * CHOICE *

      Table of Contents
      Acknowledgments

      Introduction
      1. Streets
      2. Stores
      3. Holes
      4. Plugs
      5. Binoculars
      Epilogue

      Notes
      Bibliography
      List of Illustrations
      Index

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