Art Treasures of Nebraska – Claes Oldenburg

Art Treasures of Nebraska – Claes Oldenburg

“Torn Notebook” (1992-1996). “Torn Notebook” is the pop art masterpiece of sculptors Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen at Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery’s sculpture garden. The monumental sculpture celebrates lifelong learning, and it appears to interact with nature — its ripped pages blowing in the wind. And the spiral binding — bent back in a swirl — resembles a tornado spinning across the Plains. Pages fluttering like birds in flight evoke poetry in motion — each containing handwritten phrases reflecting the artists’ impressions of Nebraska life.