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Claes Oldenburg, American, b. 1929, b. Sweden
Coosje van Bruggen, American, 1942-2009, b. The Netherlands
Fabricator: Merrifield-Roberts, Inc., American
Shuttlecocks, 1994
Aluminum, fiberglass-reinforced plastic, paint
h x diam: 19 feet 2 9/16 inches x 15 feet 11 7/8 inches (585.63 x 487.36 cm)
Purchase: acquired through the generosity of the Sosland Family, F94-1/2
This work is copyrighted. Consult copyright information for permission to reproduce.
Location: Gallery KCSP
The husband and wife team of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen were commissioned in 1994 to design a sculpture for The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. They responded to the formality of the original neoclassical building and the green expanse of its lawn by imagining the Museum as a badminton net and the lawn as a playing field. The pair designed four birdies or shuttlecocks that were placed as though they had just landed on opposite sides of the net. Each shuttlecock weighs 5,500 pounds, stands nearly 18 feet tall and has a diameter of some 16 feet.
Learn more
Conservation Case Study: Shuttlecocks
Artist Biography: Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
