If you stroll down the streets of Milan, you’ll see a two part sculpture called “Needle, Thread and Knot” that symbolizes Milan’s dedication to the world of fashion. You can admire this sculpture in the Plaza Cardona, an important area adjacent to the railway station Cardona. The gigantic sculpture has strings placed under the earth and features the colours of the subway lines, whose end is located across the sidewalk, marked by a sculptural representation of a final knot. Its curious and colourful perspective harmoniously integrates with the classic building in the background.

The sculpture was created by renowned sculptor Claes Oldenburg and his wife Coosje van Bruggen.

Oldenburg was born in Stockholm (Sweden) but when he was just a boy his family immigrated to the United States. He graduated from the Chicago Latin School and later studied at Yale University and the Art Institute of Chicago. He is considered one of the pioneers of Pop Art happenings made some part of his sculptures which are characterized by using very simple materials such as cardboard, fabric, plaster, paper, plaster etc. Almost all his works from 1962 are large scale.

In 1977 he married the artist Coosje van Bruggen. She became an essential collaborator with him, offering advice and working together to reconstruct and relocate their works around the globe.

In all his works, both individual and those made with his wife, Claes uses common, everyday objects. In some of them he is looking for interactivity with the viewer. He received the Wolf Foundation Prize for the Arts in Jerusalem and the Schock Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. If you do not want to miss this extraordinary sculpture don’t think twice and come to the birthplace of fashion. Rent apartments in Milan and enjoy the sculptures of Oldenburg.