Claes Oldenburg was born in Stockholm, Sweden, January 28, 1929. After living in New York City; Rye, New York; and Oslo, Norway, his family settled in Chicago in 1936. Oldenburg attended Yale University 1946-50, and then returned to Chicago where he worked as an apprentice reporter at the City News Bureau and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. He became an American citizen in December 1953. In 1956 he moved to New York City, where he has lived since, except for travels to Europe and Japan and a year-and-a-half in Deventer, The Netherlands. Oldenburg was married to Coosje van Bruggen, with whom he worked on large-scale public projects and performances since 1976. She is the author of many books on art history including monographs on Oldenburg, Gehry, Bruce Nauman, and John Baldessari and is the director of the film Schoolbus Yellow, Adirondack Green about the installation of the couple's 45-foot high Flashlight in Las Vegas.