Raw Notes

Claes Oldenburg, the artist who set new terms for sculpture in the 1960s, is best known for his soft sculptures and his giant monuments of ordinary objects. Because they have been less well documented, Oldenburg's performances have not been fully integrated into the critical discourse surrounding his work. In Raw Notes, Oldenburg has scrupulously collected all of the material relating to his performances. According to his specifications, the text in the book is typed rather then set and appears on only one side of the page. Examples of the original manuscript are reproduced in sixty-three script plates, including stage plans, scores, sketches for programs, and posters. More than two hundred annotations by the author expand the text. Raw Notes will be indispensable as a document of these important aspects of Oldenburg's work.