Art is a funny thing.
It can be at once obvious, obscure, beautiful and bizarre. But in the hands of Pop artist Claes Oldenburg, master of small things made bigger and hard things made softer, it can also be hilarious. Since 1976, Oldenburg and his wife, art historian and artist Coosje van Bruggen, have conspired to bring really big sculptures of really ordinary things to public places. It caused quite a stir in 1981 on its cross-country trip from the Connecticut foundry where it was made. So far none of Oldenburg's sculptures have brought down the social order, but they have certainly given us all a lift.