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The Death of General Wolfe

Benjamin West
The Death of General Wolfe (Detail), 1770
oil on canvas
152.6 x 214.5 cm
Transfer from the Canadian War Memorials, 1921 (Gift of the 2nd Duke of Westminster, England, 1918)
National Gallery of Canada (no. 8007)

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Bedroom EnsembleEnlarge image

Bedroom Ensemble, 1963

Claes Oldenburg
Swedish, American, 1929
wood, vinyl, metal, artificial fur, cloth, and paper
installation space: 3 x 6.5 x 5.25 m
Purchased 1974
National Gallery of Canada (no. 18122)
© 2000 Claes Oldenburg

In 1963, Oldenburg started a series of sculptures related to the theme of the home. "Bedroom Ensemble" is the most complex. It employs many ironic inversions - hallmarks of Oldenburg's wit and humour. By choosing hard surfaces, sharp corners and an atmosphere of stark coldness, he makes a witty comment on, as he said, the "softest room in the house and the one least associated with conscious thought." The shapes of the furniture are skewed as if rendered in a perspective drawing, giving an exaggerated illusion of depth. The theme of illusion is continued in the textures and materials of Oldenburg's Bedroom - in the commercial imitations of marble, fur and leather. None of the furniture is real; none of the accessories operate: the entire work is an illusion of functionalism. Even the series of fake abstract expressionist paintings made from decorating fabric contributes to the ironic humour of the piece.

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International
Sculpture

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You think this is a bedroom? (3 min 18 sec)

An exotic spot North of Malibu. I've always remembered that room. (1 min 26 sec)

This room has an history. Showing the Bedroom Ensemble in New York and Ottawa. (3 min 9 sec)

Pop Art: Live it Up! (2 min 50 sec)

L.A. ... The Home of Artificiality: Trapping the organic by the yard. (3 min 26 sec)

You see a moment in time and it's frozen. (2 min 14 sec)

To have things manufactured: The possibilities of making art. (2 min 31 sec)

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