Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks explained

Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks is a weathering steel sculpture by Claes Oldenburg. It is located at Morse College Courtyard, at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut.^{[2] [3]}

History

Stuart Wrede and a group of fellow Yale architecture students raised money under the name of the Colossal Keepsake Corporation of Connecticut, working in collaboration with Oldenburg, who charged no fee for his work. The piece was installed on the campus on May 15, 1969, in Beinecke Plaza, as a speakers' platform for anti-war protests.^[4] (In the autumn of 1969, women were admitted to Yale University, leading some to view the sculpture as a symbol of female empowerment and coeducation.)^[5]

The original iteration had a soft, inflated lipstick section, and wooden treads.^{[6] [7]} The sculpture deteriorated and was removed by Oldenburg in March 1970. It was redone in weathering steel and fiberglass, and reinstalled at Morse College, on October 17, 1974.^[8] As of 2019, Wrede was leading an effort to move the piece back to its original location in Beinecke Plaza.^[9]

Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks has been shown at the Guggenheim Museum^{[10] [11]} and National Gallery of Art.^[12]

See also

• List of works by Oldenburg and van Bruggen

External links

• http://restoringpublicpossessions.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/lipstick-ascending-on-caterpillar-tracks-1969-1974/
• http://dumboartscenter.blogspot.com/2011/06/secret-garden-party-ii-sneak-peak-1.html

Notes and References

1. http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/lipstick-ascending-on-caterpillar-tracks-by-claes-oldenburg-and-coosje-van-bruggen/ 'Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks' by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen – Virtual Globetrotting
2. http://www.yale.edu/publicart/lipstick.html "Public art at Yale – Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks"
3. Web site: Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks (Sculpture). Save Outdoor Sculpture, Connecticut survey. 1993. September 9, 2011.
4. http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/00_02/oldyale.html Yale Alumni Magazine: "Claes Oldenburg’s Lipstick", (Feb 2000)
5. Web site: Yale Alumni Magazine: Claes Oldenburg's Lipstick (Feb 2000).
6. http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/tom_burr/ Frieze Magazine, "Tom Burr"
7. http://yaleherald.com/arts/sculptures-at-yale-not-just-for-peeing-on/ The Yale Herald, "Sculptures at Yale: Not just for peeing on"
8. http://www.oldenburgvanbruggen.com/largescaleprojects/lipstick.htm "Claes Oldenburg: Exhibitions & Projects: Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks"
9. News: For Claes Oldenburg, a Time to Let Go, a Time to Look Ahead. The New York Times. 21 June 2019. Sheets. Hilarie M..
10. http://www.artnetweb.com/oldenburg/scale.html Oldenburg: "An Anthology, Large-Scale Projects"
11. http://artnetweb.com/oldenburg/events.html "Claes Oldenburg, An Anthology – Events & Publications"
12. http://www.nga.gov/past/data/exh692.shtm NGA, "Claes Oldenburg: An Anthology", (02/1995)