Tag: Coosje van Bruggen

‘Claes & Coosje: A Duet’ at Pace Gallery

Right after the giant fork holding spaghetti and a meatball, the monumental sculpture ‘Dropped Bouquet’ is an immediate draw in Pace Gallery’s new show of collaborative work by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen from the 80s onward.  Surrounded by lighthearted works evoking music (including canvas violas, lutes and a trumpet) and flying neckties and pieces of pie, the flowers elicit delight with their cheery color and disorienting scale.  (On view in Chelsea through May 1st.  Masks, social distancing and appointments are required.)

Oldenburg/van Bruggen, Dropped Bouquet, painted aluminum, 12’ 3” x 9’ 3” x 14’ 10”, 2021.

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen at Paula Cooper Gallery

Is Claes Oldenburg’s Stradivarius any more sophisticated than his giant, soft hamburger from the 60s? Together with his collaborator and wife Coosje van Bruggen, Oldenburg collected and displayed drawings and models for the couple’s large-scale outdoor sculptures around their homes and studio. A selection now on view at Paula Cooper Gallery testifies to their whimsical sense of humor and love of music. (In Chelsea through Dec 19th).

 Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Sliced Stradivarius – Rose, canvas, felt, wood, cord, hardware, painted with latex, 45 x 18 x 7 inches, 2003.

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen at Paula Cooper Gallery

Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen’s ‘Soft Harp’ is a standout in Paula Cooper Gallery’s current exhibition of music-themed visual art. Despite being hung out as if on a wash line or strung across a flagpole, the instrument retains its elegance and beauty. (In Chelsea through May 31st).

Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen, Soft Harp, Scale C, Harp Sail, wood, steel, aluminum, clothesline, feathers, latext paint, 1992.