Live Auction 2315Post-War and Contemporary Art Morning Session Including Works from the Collection of Michael Crichton
Christie’s roundel
Lot 103 WORKS FROM THE COLLECTION OF MICHAEL CRICHTON

Claes Oldenburg (b. 1929)

Soft Typewriter in Red

Closed12 May 2010

Price Realised

USD 116,500

Considering selling a similar item?

Discover its value with a complimentary estimate from our specialists.

More Information

How to sell

Claes Oldenburg (b. 1929)
Soft Typewriter in Red
signed with initials, titled and dated 'Soft T C.O. 74' (lower edge)
charcoal, watercolor and crayon on paper
14 x 20 in. (35.5 x 50.8 cm.)
Executed in 1974.

Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 1974

Specialist note

"I wanted a typewriter image from Claes Oldenburg. Nothing happened for a long time, as is often the case with Claes, and I started asking, 'Where's my typewriter?' He finally indicated that he couldn't imagine any particular focus to do the image, but when I mentioned casually that my typewriter was red, that apparently was enough to provoke the drawing. It's very special and I like it a lot" (Michael Crichton, as quoted in I. Wasserman, "Notes from An Interview," Selections from the Michael Crichton Collection, San Diego, 1980, p. 5).