Claes Oldenburg
NOW OPEN at Shapero Modern
Claes Oldenburg: Multiples
Exhibition Highlights
Wedding Souvenir is a perfect example of Oldenburg’s playful artistic approach, as this usually soft and delicious dessert, which initially appears real and enticing, is actually composed of hard, inedible plaster – challenging the viewer’s perception of reality in a humorous manner. 
Mouse head into a minimalist, geometric form. This work is part of Oldenburg’s exploration of mass-produced imagery and the multiplicity of forms, with the reproductive capacity of mice making it the perfect symbol for Oldenburg’s 'multiples'.
In Profile Airflow – Test Mold, Front End, Oldenburg deconstructs the Chrysler Airflow, the first streamlined car, into abstract forms, emphasising its design and mass production. By reproducing and altering the car’s components, he explores the nuances of industrial design and the aesthetics of the everyday, reflecting his fascination with the process of reproduction.
Created in 1983, Tilting Neon Cocktail transforms the ubiquitous neon bar sign into a sculptural multiple. This piece reimagines the familiar cocktail glass in a tilted, precarious stance, as if the sculpture itself is intoxicated. By reducing the glass to a single, unbroken ‘neon’ line, Oldenburg adds a sense of playfulness and a modern, commercial flair.
We invite you to visit our gallery at 94 New Bond Street from 8th May to 29th June and experience Oldenburg’s inventive world of everyday objects.
