Images(2)

Geometric Mouse

by Claes Oldenburg

Artist Claes Oldenburg (Sverige, 1929 - 2022)

Alternate Title

Geometrisk mus. Skala 5/5

Date1972

MediumMålad aluminium och stål

DimensionsYttermått: 370 x 320 x 300 cm ( 145 11/16 x 126 x 118 1/8 in.)

ClassificationSculptures

Credit LineDonation 1973 (New York Collection)

Countries

Sweden, United States

Object NumberNMSK 2172

CollectionsThe New York Collection, Geometri

The artwork is not on display

About the artworkClaes Oldenburg takes a simple, everyday object and inserts it into the world of art and the hearts of his audience, with humour and irony. The Geometric Mouse is as straight-forward as a comic strip character, while being architecturally terse in its distinct design. And made of aluminium sheets held together with nuts and bolts, almost like the hull of a ship. "I'm all for art that does something more than sit on its arse in a museum," he once said. A mouse (Sw. "mus") in a mous-eum? (Sw. "museum") Is this the pun intended by Oldenburg? It could be. This sculpture is based on the Romanian-French artist Brancusi's "Sleeping Muse". The word museum is derived from the same origin - a place for the muses, the patrons of art. But there are also giant classic sculptures of heads, such as that of Emperor Constantin in the Conservator's Apartment in Rome. This is a large sculpture, well worth looking at from all angles. But also from a distance, where its multifaceted interpretations become more apparent.
Selected exhibition history Pop Art & Nouveau Réalisme, ur samlingarna (1991-1992) Moderna Museet, Stockholm Efterkrigstid till 1970-tal Moderna Museet, Stockholm Pontus Hulténs samling (2004) Moderna Museet, Stockholm New York Collection for Stockholm (1973) Moderna Museet, Stockholm The Moderna Museet exhibition catalogues New York Collection for Stockholm : Moderna Museet : oktober 27 - december 2, 1973Pop Art & Nouveau realisme : ur Moderna Museets samlingar : Moderna Museet 26.12.1991 - 09.08.1992

Works by the artist