“Claes Oldenburg with Coosje van Bruggen: Drawings” at the Denver Art Museum

“Claes Oldenburg with Coosje van Bruggen: Drawings” is a survey of 40 collaborative works by contemporary artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. This exhibition presents 39 drawings and one sculpture spanning the artists’ careers from 1961 through 2001. It offers an intriguing and insightful look at works on paper by two extraordinarily innovative modern artists well known for their monumental and imaginative sculptures, which are located in major cities throughout the world.

The exhibition presents a chronological survey of works highlighting the ingenious ways in which Oldenburg and van Bruggen appropriated and re-invented form. Beginning with studies of Oldenburg’s first and well-known monumental soft sculptures of the 1960s, “Claes Oldenburg with Coosje van Bruggen: Drawings” reveals a collaborative evolution of work that culminates with drafts of their large-scale hard sculptures of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The drawings represent the conception of an artistic idea, striking visual representations of manifested creations where line and form playfully intertwine the surreal and the natural elements of a landscape.

Visitors will see artworks on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Kimiko Powers Collection, and the Oldenburg and van Bruggen studio as well as one work from the DAM’s permanent collection. Notably, this exhibition includes an exclusive presentation of eight drawings of the monumental “Big Sweep” sculpture located outside the DAM, giving visitors the unique opportunity to view the creative process and ideas behind one of the most beloved outdoor sculptures in Denver. This show is curated by Julie Augur, adjunct curator of drawing at the DAM.