Oldenburg's Lipstick Returns to Yale with Fresh Makeover

Claes Oldenburg's iconic 'Lipstick' sculpture has undergone a fresh makeover and found a new home on Yale University's campus. The massive, 24-foot-tall lipstick on caterpillar tracks was originally installed in 1969 as a surprise gift to the university.

The project was led by Stuart Wrede, a graduate student in architecture at the time, who was inspired by an interview with philosopher and social critic Herbert Marcuse. The sculpture was fabricated at cost by Lippincott, Inc., a North Haven-based company that had helped artists build large-scale public sculptures since 1966.

The unveiling of the sculpture was an art performance called a 'happening,' typical to Oldenburg's style. Over 500 people gathered as the students erected the sculpture in Beinecke Plaza, and the crowd erupted into thunderous applause when the lipstick's vinyl orange tip was inflated.