Ellen H. Johnson

This is a slim volume from the days when Oldenburg was making Happenings & soft sculpture & that's the work of his I most admire. This before things like the giant metal Mickey Mouse head - wch I find of more or less zero interest. Oldenburg's playfullness & wit sparkles. A Giant Icepack on a parking lot? Great! 'Distressed' cardboard props? Great! Oldenburg took the pop recontextualization of the banal & turned everyday objects into novelty items. In many respects, his Happenings props were the precursors of today's anarchist puppet shows.… (meer)