A large sculpture of a typewriter eraser was recently relocated from the Olympic Sculpture Park to the Museum of Pop Culture. It is 18 feet high, which Oldenburg made with his wife and collaborator, Coosje van Bruggen, in 1999 in an edition of four sculptures.
Typewriter Eraser Coming in June 2016
Vulcan Inc. today announced that Typewriter Eraser, Scale X (1999), a large-scale sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, will be moving to a new location at Seattle Center in June 2016. This sculpture is part of the Paul G. Allen Family Collection and has been on loan to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) since the opening of the Olympic Sculpture Park in 2006.
“We have been pleased to share this icon of pop art with the community and many visitors to Seattle for the last decade at the Olympic Sculpture Park,” said Mary Ann Prior, Director of Art Collections at Vulcan. “The move to Seattle Center, another hub of activity and excitement in Seattle, will allow a new set of the public to experience this imaginative and engaging work of art.”
In the early 1960’s, the American artist Claes Oldenburg began creating larger-than-life sculptures of obsolete objects from his childhood in collaboration with his spouse, Coosje van Bruggen. The Typewriter Eraser, Scale X was inspired by his memories of playing with the now-obsolete typewriter eraser in his father’s office. Even though the reference is unrecognizable to the digital generation, the sweeping blue bristles anchored by the large pink disc is a compelling form. Weighing approximately five tons, the Typerwriter Eraser, Scale X is made from painted stainless steel and resin and the largest piece in Oldenburgs’ Typewriter Eraser series.
“We are thrilled to welcome this playful and important art piece to the Harrison Street entrance for all of the public to enjoy. It joins an outstanding collection of outdoor art that helps to define and enrich the visitor experience at Seattle Center,” said Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams.
“With its swinging brush and bright colors, Typewriter Eraser, Scale X has been a wonderful part of the Olympic Sculpture Park since it was installed in September 2006. It has certainly prompted lots of fun questions from young people (‘what’s a typewriter eraser?’),” said Kimerly Rorschach, Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO of Seattle Art Museum. “We’re grateful to have been the work’s home for so many years – but we’re also excited to see it find a new home at Seattle Center where it can continue the artists’ goal of creating what Oldenburg described as an ‘endless public dialogue.’”
This sculpture also exists at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C.