Claes Oldenburg

American · 1929–2022 · Painter, Printmaker

Claes Oldenburg was a Swedish-born American sculptor best known for his public art installations, typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. Another theme in his… (Wikipedia)

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495lots offered1999–2026years recorded92%sold (445)$1.3kSign up free to seemedian price

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24 Open-Faced SandwichesPhillips · Nov 2024$793,750≈ £627,619≈ €750,378Sign up to see
"Ghost Wardrobe for M. M."Van Ham · Oct 2024€343,200≈ $380,472≈ £285,511Sign up to see
Punching BagPhillips · May 2019$200,000≈ £155,267≈ €178,843Sign up to see

Claes Oldenburg’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

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489 results · page 12 of 13

Study of Steel and Lead Ashtray, 1976
Etching
55,5 : 64,5 cm (21,8 : 25,3 in)
Ketterer Kunst · Mar 31, 2007 · Lot 693
€1,200≈ $1,598≈ £816Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €1,000–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
Nose (Handkerchief) (A./P. 53), 1968
Screenprint · Other support · ed. 132/150
19 x 19in (48½ x 48½cm)
Bonhams · Nov 6, 2005 · Lot 687
$1,998≈ £1,143≈ €1,674Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–1,500View at Bonhams ↗
Baked potatoe with butter, 1973
Lithograph · ed. 82/100
67 : 84 cm (26,3 : 33 in)
Ketterer Kunst · Mar 18, 2005 · Lot 362
€1,053≈ $1,398≈ £730Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €1,200–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
Tea Bag, 1972
Lithograph · ed. 83/100
62,5 : 48 cm (24,6 : 18,8 in)
Ketterer Kunst · Mar 18, 2005 · Lot 884
€819≈ $1,088≈ £568Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €1,000–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
Lake Union, 1972
Print (other) · ed. 240/300
71 : 55 cm (27,9 : 21,6 in)
Ketterer Kunst · Mar 18, 2005 · Lot 885
€585≈ $777≈ £406Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €700–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
Tongue
Lithograph
Ketterer Kunst · Dec 7, 2001 · Lot 807
€399≈ $356≈ £249Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €230–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
Geometric Mouse Scale D, 1971
die-cut reproduction on paper · Paper
49.5 x 41.9 x 2.5 cm
Levis Fine Art Auctions · May 3, 1999 · Lot 422
CA$138≈ $95≈ £59≈ €90Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. CA$200–250View at Levis Fine Art Auctions ↗
Ice Bag (Axsom/Platzker 66, Gemini 180), 1970
Lithograph · Paper · ed. 18/27
12 x 12 3/4in (30.5 x 32.4cm)
Bonhams · Jul 30, 2026 · Lot 30
Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. $1,500–2,000View at Bonhams ↗
Untitled
Lithograph · ed. 32/54
40 1/2 x 31 in
Abell Auction Company · May 31, 2026 · Lot 573
Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. $1,000–2,000View at Abell Auction Company ↗
Indian Head, 1972
Screenprint · Paper · ed. 9/150
H 18" W 14"
DuMouchelles · May 15, 2026 · Lot 1051
Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. $1,000–2,000View at DuMouchelles ↗

Also offered, result not published (10)

Lots by Claes Oldenburg that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Claes Oldenburg paintings (16)Claes Oldenburg acrylic paintings (10)Claes Oldenburg mixed media (3)Claes Oldenburg works on paper (29)Claes Oldenburg watercolors (8)Claes Oldenburg drawings (9)Claes Oldenburg prints (354)Claes Oldenburg etchings (25)Claes Oldenburg lithographs (217)Claes Oldenburg screenprints (61)Claes Oldenburg woodcuts & linocuts (7)Claes Oldenburg multiples (30)Claes Oldenburg sculpture (39)

Claes Oldenburg signature

165 catalogued lots by Claes Oldenburg record a signature line. The most common placement is lower right (53% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

lower right18
lower left5
lower centre4
on the reverse4
on the base1
in the margin1

Form

signed76
initialled61
signed in pencil13
monogrammed11
signed and dated4

Signed with the artist's initials and dated "CO 91" lower right — Study for Soft Saxophone, Phillips, Feb 28, 2025
Signed with the artist's initials and dated 'CO 69' lower left — Ice Bags and Bananas, Phillips, Dec 4, 2024
Signed with the artist's initials and dated "CO. 85" lower right and titled "arcobaleno di tartive" upper edge — Arcobaleno di tartine, Phillips, Sep 23, 2024

Claes Oldenburg signature: all forms and examples →

About Claes Oldenburg

Claes Oldenburg was a Swedish-born American sculptor best known for his public art installations, typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. Many of his works were made in collaboration with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen, who died in 2009; they had been married for 32 years. Oldenburg lived and worked in New York City.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.