Claes Oldenburg
Typewriter Eraser
New York City, USA: Leo Castelli Gallery, 1977
81.3 x 88.9 x 58.4 cm.
Edition of 18 [+5 AP]
The typewriter eraser was a common stationery item, consisting of a pink rubber wheel used to erase typing errors, and a brush to wipe away the remnants [see below, top]. Oldenburg has been interested in the object as a subject matter since the late sixties, when he began producing drawings of typewriter erasers as proposals for soft and monumental sculptures [see below, centre].
This editioned version predates the towering five ton public sculptural works of the same name (located at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Seattle Art Museum and the City Centre Fine Arts Collection in Nevada - see below, bottom) by twenty-two years. It is interesting to note that even the large public outdoor versions are ultimately editioned, also.
The 1977 version published by Leo Castelli is made of acrylic on aluminum, ferrocement and stainless steel and was produced by Oldenburg at the Lippincott foundry.
The work has been known to sell at auction for over a million dollars.
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