Press Room:
The Arkansas Arts Center to host Claes Oldenburg: DRAWINGS

For more information contact:
Emily Fraize, 501-396-0308
efraize@arkarts.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Arkansas Arts Center to host Claes Oldenburg: DRAWINGS
(LITTLE ROCK, AR) - The Arkansas Arts Center is proud to present Claes Oldenburg: DRAWINGS (organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York) on Friday, October 10, 2003 in the Townsend Wolfe Gallery.

The exhibition of ninety-two drawings follows the career of one of the most successful sculptors and influential pop artists of the twentieth century, beginning with his first works in the 1960s, followed by his marriage and artistic collaboration with Coosje van Bruggen in the late 1970s and ending with more recent works in the late 1990s. Oldenburg's drawings are proposals for major public sculptures and serve as the beginnings of what have become iconic works. They document the first stages of a design, expand upon the idea and culminate with the construction of the monument.

Brian Young, curator of art at the Arkansas Arts Center, said, "In these drawings, we get to see the initial planning and the thoughtfulness that Oldenburg gives to his public sculpture. This is a rare opportunity for our audience to see the full range of draftsmanship exhibited by a sculptor." This exhibition, drawn from the Whitney Museum of American Art, is part of the largest repository for the graphic work of Oldenburg.

Oldenburg's major public sculptures are in many metropolitan American cities and include Shuttlecocks at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Free Stamp at Willard Park in Cleveland and Clothespin at Centre Square Plaza in Philadelphia.

The exhibition runs through January 4, 2004.

For more information, call 501-372-4000 or visit www.arkarts.com.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Contact: 501-372-4000
501-372-0308
Location: Arkansas Arts Center - 9th and Commerce, Little Rock, AR 72202
Gallery Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Closed Monday and major holidays