Claes Oldenburg

The Store, New York
Billy Kluver, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris, June 20, 2001, lot 114
Private Collection (acquired from the above sale)
Sotheby's, New York, November 12, 2008, lot 189
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

New York, Martha Jackson Gallery, Environments, Situations, Spaces, May - June 1961
New York, Ray-Gun Mfg. Co., The Store by Claes Oldenburg, December 1961 - January 1962
Dallas, The Dallas Museum for Contemporary Arts, 1961, April - May 1962
Cologne, Rheinhallen, Messegelände, Westkunst Zeitgenössische Kunst seit 1939, May - August 1981, cat no. 677
New York, Museum of Modern Art, Claes Oldenburg: The Street and The Store;
Claes Oldenburg: Mouse Museum/Ray Gun Wing, April - August 2013

Claes Oldenburg, Store Days: Documents from the Store (1961) and Ray Gun Theater (1962), New York, 1967, inventory no. 100, p. 34

This work is in good condition overall. As is typical of the artist's plaster works, the enamel paint has some scattered areas of cracking overall, which all appear stable. The most evident is a 3 inch fine crack which runs through the egg yolk. There are scattered losses to the enamel paint along the edges of the egg. There are scattered surface abrasions and accretions on the egg, pan and handle. Several crevices have accumulated dust residue.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

“Clearly this was a store where Everything Must Go.... A string of sausages is exactly the same red as the trim on a housedress, which is precisely the same yellow as the yolk of a fried egg, which matches a pair of white running shoes.”

Steven Stern (Frieze Magazine, "Taking Stock", Issue 76, June - August 2003)