“I was always interested in drawing. As a child, I started my own country, which was called Neubern. It was located in the South Atlantic. I did the documentation of Neubern in great detail. I drew everything that was there, all the houses and all the cars and all the people. We even had a navy and an air force. I spent a lot of time drawing.” PeopleChildrenCountryHouseForceMy OwnAirCarSouthDetailsDrawingNavyAir ForceDocumentation Author:Claes Oldenburg
“I knew I had to take my ambition more seriously, so I enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago. Then, in the fall, I went on a tour of my own. I didn't go to New York because that was too well known for its art scene.” WellsArtFallMy OwnKnownNew YorkSceneAmbitionChicagoWell KnownInstituteMy Ambition Author:Claes Oldenburg
“I just started to do my own thing for about a year and a half, and I worked in the evening selling phonograph records. Then I said to myself, "I'm afraid I have to go to New York after all."” YearsSaidMy OwnHalfRecordsNew YorkSellingEveningPhonograph Author:Claes Oldenburg
“My rule was not to paint things as they were. I wasn't copying; I was remaking them as my own.” My OwnPaintCopying Author:Claes Oldenburg
