Claes Oldenburg (b. Stockholm, Sweden, 1929) is famous for his large-scale replicas of everyday objects. In 1992, the Pop artist created a series of works based on musical instruments, returning to a subject matter that had fascinated him since the 1960s. Soft Saxophone (Black and White), sitting gracefully upright, has been compared to such various forms as the curves of the female figure or the torque of a twisting tornado. One critic noted that Oldenburg’s monochromatic color scheme “gives the saxophone a melancholic air, as the print conjures a slow-moving ballad or moody blues piece.” This print was related to several “soft” three dimensional sculptures of saxophones created as part of a group of works created around the theme of forced air, including objects from clarinets to perfume spray bottles. Oldenburg’s engagement with the form of instruments has led to varied sculptures (many of them created with his collaborator and wife Coosje van Bruggen, 1942-2009), including works based on the viola, saxophone, clarinet, French horn, sheet music, and metronome. Musical instruments proved the perfect objects for the artists to explore metamorphosis, the changes in material objects, and concurrent shifts in meaning.