Houseball
Bethlehemskirchplatz, Mauerstrasse, Berlin, Germany
Background History
Claes Oldenburg was the artist who created the sculpture the Houseball. The first time people saw the Houseball was in Bonn, in the Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle der Bundersrepublik, Deutschland. The Houseball was placed in Berlin in 1996. Commissioned in 1993 by Ronald S. Lauder. It was donated by The honorable and Mrs. Ronald S. Lauder to the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies Gift to the Nation. Claes Oldenburg first started making the Houseball in 1985 and finish in 1996, so it took him 11 years to make it.
Artists Statement
The thought process for this sculpture was that someone would gather up all of their possessions and tie them in a cloth in the shape of a ball that would role. Claes wanted to communicate that a house could become one in itself and you don't have to have the house. When Claes thought he should of added a few things like a iron. He said that it was very challenging imagining how all of the pieces would go together and actually putting them together.
My Opinion
The sculpture the Houseball was probably one of my favorite sculptures that Claes Oldenburg made that I've seen. I like it because it wasn't just a simple object put in a random place. It was different than the rest of his sculptures. I like the thought of a house all put together in a ball. I really liked the idea and the actual sculpture and how it was put together.