Soft Sink

myminifactory

In 1961, Claes Oldenburg penned an impassioned manifesto declaring his uncompromising artistic stance: "I champion art that is unapologetically political-erotical-mystical, refusing to sit idly in museums." The early 1960s saw artists on both sides of the Atlantic plundering contemporary mass culture's imagery and symbolism, forged in the crucible of consumerism unleashed by World War II. They disregarded the traditional divide between high and low art: every expression of modern society held significance. Some artists skewered consumer culture with its relentless tide of new products and fleeting trends. Others, like Andy Warhol, took a more sophisticated approach, his work probing the vehicle for imagery (photography in newspapers and magazines) and the profound impact of mass-distributed images.