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 5 of 13

Soft Drum Set, 1972
Lithograph
29 x 40 inches (sheet)
Michaan's Auctions · Oct 20, 2023 · Lot 199
$677≈ £557≈ €639Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $600–1,000View at Michaan's Auctions ↗
Pile of Erasers, 1975
Lithograph
23 h x 29 w in (58 x 74 cm)
Rago Auctions · Oct 12, 2023 · Lot 261
$819≈ £665≈ €771Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $800–View at Rago Auctions ↗
Notebook Torn in Half, 1997
Lithograph
25¼ h x 21⅝ w in (64 x 55 cm)
Rago Auctions · Oct 12, 2023 · Lot 326
$567≈ £461≈ €534Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $700–View at Rago Auctions ↗
Untitled (from the Stamped Indelibly portfolio), 1967
rubber stamp on BFK Rives · Paper
9½ h x 6½ w in (24 x 17 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Sep 7, 2023 · Lot 177
$693≈ £556≈ €647Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $500–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
The Soap at Baton Rouge, 1990
Multiple
13½ h x 20½ w x 2 d in (34 x 52 x 5 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Sep 7, 2023 · Lot 360
$524≈ £420≈ €489Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $400–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Centennial Print, Judson Memorial Church (A. & P. 218.1), 1990
Screenprint · Paper · ed. 7/100
I. 39 1/2 x 24 in. (100.3 x 61 cm) S. 44 1/8 x 30 in. (112.1 x 76.2 cm)
Phillips · Sep 6, 2023 · Lot 74
$191≈ £152≈ €178Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $500–700View at Phillips ↗
Six works from the Notes portfolio, 1968
Lithograph · Paper
22⅝ h x 15¾ w in (58 x 40 cm)
Wright · Aug 8, 2023 · Lot 194
$2,142≈ £1,686≈ €1,957Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $3,000–View at Wright ↗
Picasso Cufflink, 1974
Lithograph · Paper
36 h x 26⅞ w in (91 x 68 cm)
Wright · Aug 8, 2023 · Lot 259
$1,197≈ £942≈ €1,094Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–View at Wright ↗
Notebook Torn in Half (State II), 1997
Lithograph
25½ h x 54⅞ w in (65 x 139 cm)
Wright · Aug 8, 2023 · Lot 319
$882≈ £694≈ €806Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $700–View at Wright ↗
Icons In a Smoke Filled Room, 1996
Screenprint
20¼ h x 24¼ w in (51 x 62 cm)
Wright · Aug 8, 2023 · Lot 345
$756≈ £595≈ €691Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $600–View at Wright ↗

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.