The Elongated Clothespin That Set Claes Oldenburg's Auction Record

Claes Oldenburg's Clothespin Ten Foot (1974) sold for $3.64m at Christie's in New York on November 10, 2015. The corten steel and stainless steel work was purchased directly from Leo Castelli Galley in 1975.

The sculpture is incised with the artist's name, dated 1974 and stamped with the Lippincott foundry mark on the base. It is number two from an edition of three. Other examples of this edition are in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Oldenburg went on to create a monumental Clothespin with his partner Coosje van Bruggen. It was unveiled in Philadelphia in 1976. The 45-foot-tall sculpture, the artists' first major US civic commission, soon became one of the city's favorite works of public art.

Oldenburg explained the importance of clothspins when creating his soft sculptures: “Clothespins are a studio necessity for me. With clothespins I join parts of soft sculptures in preparation for sewing. Clothespins also hold parts together while the glue is setting."

Oldenburg's original sketch for Clothespin includes a photograph of Constantin Brancusi sculpture The Kiss, which inspired Swedish-American artist to elongate the pin's two arms.

The sale beat the artist’s previous auction record by $1.43m, a 64% rise. His previous record was set by Typewriter Eraser (1976), which sold for $2.21m at Christie's on May 13, 2009. The work had not been traded before.

A Brief History of Claes Oldenburg at Auction