The renowned duo Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen met in 1971, when Oldenburg was already an established artist. Van Bruggen was working as a curator at the Stedelijk Museum, but after their marriage in 1977 she went from confidante and advisor to full-fledged artistic collaborator. Together the couple created performances, drawings, and huge, fanciful sculptures, commissions they called “Large-Scale Projects.” Their giant binoculars, for instance, a sculpture made of concrete and cement plaster, forms the entrance to the Frank Gehry-designed TBWA/Chiat/Day building in Los Angeles, now known as the Binoculars Building. This exhibition—on which the couple’s daughter, Maartje Oldenburg, collaborated—sheds light on the aesthetic, philosophical, and artistic dialogue between Claes and Coosje. Their final sculptural piece, Dropped Bouquet, is also on view. —E.C.

Claes & Coosje: A Duet
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Pace Gallery / New York / Art
Pace Gallery / New York / Art
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in their studio with “Standing Collar with Bow Tie,” 1992. Photo: Jesse Frohman. Courtesy of Trunk Archive.
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