Extinguished Match (First State)
started 1989, published 1990
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph on John Koller HMP handmade paper
Dimensions
sheet: 103.03 × 79.38 cm (40 9/16 × 31 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Lee and Ann Fensterstock
Accession Number
2000.177.53
Art Historical Context
Claes Oldenburg, a leading figure in the Pop Art movement, frequently transformed humble, everyday objects into subjects of monumental scale and quiet contemplation. In "Extinguished Match (First State)," he turns his attention to a simple burned matchstick, rendered in a large lithograph that invites viewers to reconsider the overlooked details of daily life. Begun in 1989 and published the following year, the work exemplifies Oldenburg’s enduring fascination with the poetry hidden in the ordinary. Printed on luxurious John Koller HMP handmade paper, this lithograph highlights the artist’s m...
About the Artist
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg, born January 28, 1929, in Stockholm, Sweden, to diplomat Gösta Oldenburg and Sigrid Elisabeth Lindforss, spent much of his childhood abroad before his family settled in Chicago in 1936, where his father served as Swedish consul general. He attended the Latin School of Chicago, then studied literature and art history at Yale University from 1946 to 1950, followed by classes at the ...