When Claes Oldenburg was old enough to begin working, his first jobs were working in restaurants. In the 1950's, fast food chains were popping up all over the country, so he took this theme into his artwork. He grabbed four pieces of sailcloth, sewed and stuffed them, and created his first soft sculpture, Giant Hamburger.

Oldenburg was among a group of artists in the 50's and 60's known as Pop Art. Pop Art was a movement originating in the late 1950s which was a reaction against the entrenched styles of abstract art of the time (such as Abstract Expressionism). Pop artists sought subject matter from the everyday world. By taking everyday objects and situations as subject matter, Pop Art made icons out of popular culture. Oldenburg started using images and objects from the everyday world, especially those that are small and usually unnoticeable. The goal of Pop Art was, "to make the ordinary extraordinary."

Pie A La Mode, 1962.

Giant Hamburger, 1962.

Spoonbridge and Cherry (Minneapolis), 1985.

Free Stamp (Cleveland), 1991.

Giant Clothespin (Moscow).