Symbolic Self-Portrait with "Equals"

1960s

Happenings of the “Ray Gun Theater”

In the 1960s Oldenburg, now associated with Pop art, staged happenings he called the “Ray Gun Theater”, with Lucas Samaras, Tom Wesselmann, Carolee Schneemann and others; his first wife Patty Mucha, who sewed many of his early soft sculptures — “Floor Hamburger”, “Floor Cone”, “Floor Cake” — was a constant performer.

1969

Solo show at MoMA

In 1969 the Museum of Modern Art in New York held a solo exhibition of Oldenburg's work; the same year he contributed a drawing to the Moon Museum.

1969–1977

His relationship with Hannah Wilke

From 1969 to 1977 Oldenburg was in a relationship with the feminist artist and sculptor Hannah Wilke: they shared studios and travelled together, and she often photographed him. His marriage to Patty Mucha ended in 1970.

1970

Meets Coosje van Bruggen

In 1970, when his first major retrospective travelled to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Oldenburg met Coosje van Bruggen, a curator there — his future wife and collaborator.

1970

Exhibition at the Tate Gallery

In 1970 London's Tate Gallery showed a solo exhibition of Oldenburg's work, chronicled in James Scott's twin-projection documentary “The Great Ice Cream Robbery”.

early 1970s

Turning to public commissions: “Three-Way Plug”

From the early 1970s Oldenburg concentrated almost exclusively on public commissions; his first public work, “Three-Way Plug”, was commissioned by Oberlin College with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.