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The Accidental Possibilities of the City: Claes Oldenburg's Urbanism in Postwar America (Hardcover)

The Accidental Possibilities of the City: Claes Oldenburg's Urbanism in Postwar America By Katherine Smith Cover Image
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Description


Claes Oldenburg’s commitment to familiar objects has shaped accounts of his career, but his associations with Pop art and postwar consumerism have overshadowed another crucial aspect of his work. In this revealing reassessment, Katherine Smith traces Oldenburg’s profound responses to shifting urban conditions, framing his enduring relationship with the city as a critical perspective and conceiving his art as urban theory.
 
Smith argues that Oldenburg adapted lessons of context, gleaned from New York’s changing cityscape in the late 1950s, to large-scale objects and architectural plans. By examining disparate projects from New York to Los Angeles, she situates Oldenburg’s innovations in local geographies and national debates. In doing so, Smith illuminates patterns of urbanization through the important contributions of one of the leading artists in the United States.

About the Author


Katherine Smith is Professor of Art History at Agnes Scott College.

Praise For…


"Smith's book will be valuable for those interested in urban art, multidisciplinary urbanism, or the history of ideas."


 
— CHOICE


Product Details
ISBN: 9780520305489
ISBN-10: 0520305485
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication Date: March 2nd, 2021
Pages: 352
Language: English