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Screwarch

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  • Jim Barbetto asked

    I saw the screw arch for the first time at Lippincott Foundry, in North Haven, Ct. I photographed it using black and white film. I had two 16x20 photgraphs made. I gave one to the Lippincott brothers and left one for the artist, whom I was told was Claes Oldenburg. I was also told that Mr. Oldenburg was very impressed by the depth of field displayed in my photo and shortly after took the 10 foot sculpture to Boijmans Museum in the Netherlands, and placed in the archives of the museum. Can you please tell me if this is true.

  • Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

    Hi Jim, Yes, this is partly true. Oldenburg proposed the Screwarch as the design for a new bridge over the river Meuse, which runs through the city of Rotterdam. In his idea the new bridge should consist of two enormous screw arches bending toward one another. Unfortunately another bridge design was chosen (see Willemsbrug Rotterdam), but Oldenburgs designs, models and the sculpture were acquired for the museum's collection. The museum is renovated now, but normally the sculpture is in our garden. Kind regards, Els

  • Steve asked

    I will be in Rotterdam on Saturday. Is the Screw Arch available for viewing?

  • Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

    Dear Steve, I am afraid that my answer comes a bit late. You probably already noticed that the Screw Arch is not visible at the moment. Kind regards, Els

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More information

Claes Oldenburg became impressed with the Dutch landscape, the harbour city of Rotterdam and the bridge during a stay in the Netherlands. Rotterdam's plans for the construction of a bridge over the New Maas were the inspiration for this sculpture. For the New Maas he imagined a bridge in the shape of a gigantic screw. The museum director at the time - Wim Beeren - reached an agreement with Oldenburg and his wife Coosje van Bruggen in 1978 that they would turn this idea into a model, an etching and a large sculpture for the collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The screw sculpture would not turn out to be as large as a bridge over the New Maas, but it was made to a size that would precisely fit in the museum. The screw bridge was exhibited in the museum in 1983. It was quickly decided, however, that the work would be given a permanent place in the museum's sculpture garden. Claes Oldenburg himself chose this place next to the pond, which in his eyes suited the sculpture the best.

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Collection book

Collection book Order

Specifications

Title Screwarch
Material and technique Aluminium, paint
Object type
Sculpture > Three-dimensional object > Art object
Location This object is in storage
Dimensions Height 386 cm
Diameter 242 cm
Width 680 cm
Artists Artist: Claes Oldenburg
Artist: Coosje van Bruggen
Executor: Alfred Lippincott
Executor: Kymball Grant
Accession number BEK 1589 a-j (MK)
Credits Purchased 1982
Department Modern Art
Acquisition date 1982
Creation date in 1982
Internal exhibitions Boijmans Ahoy, drive-thru museum (2020)
Material
Object
Geographical origin The United States of America > North America > America
Geographical origin Sweden > Scandanavia > Northern Europe > Europe

All about the artist

Claes Oldenburg

Stockholm 1929 - New York 2022

Claes Oldenburg is of Swedish origin and studied art and literature at Yale University and subsequently, from 1950 to 1954, at the School of the Art Institute...

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Coosje van Bruggen

Groningen 1942 - Los Angeles 2009

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