Landmark Crusoe Umbrella Gets a Fresh Coat

Visitors to downtown Des Moines and Cowles Commons will notice restoration work to the iconic Crusoe Umbrella, with scheduled painting of the sculpture slated through early October.

In September 1978, the Civic Center commissioned Swedish-born American sculptor Claes Oldenburg to create a larger-than-life piece for Nollen Plaza, known today as Cowles Commons. Inspired by the novel Robinson Crusoe and the main character’s umbrella fashioned from sticks and plants, Oldenburg crafted the 20,000-pound, 53-foot-long Crusoe Umbrella.

To maintain its integrity, a crew repaints the dark green Crusoe Umbrella approximately every 10 years – the paint color chosen because of its natural hue, which complements the sculpture's organic and linear shape.

Oldenburg is well known for his work turning the mundane into the monumental through oversized sculptures. His work includes Spoonbridge and Cherry in Minneapolis, Clothespin in Philadelphia and Shuttlecocks in Kansas City.

Hear more about the making of the Crusoe Umbrella – from concept to installation in 1979 – from Claes Oldenburg in this Iowa Public Broadcasting Network documentary.

Cowles Commons serves as a multifunctional outdoor space that hosts numerous community events each year. In addition to the popular Crusoe Umbrella, Cowles Commons is home to the lighting sculpture Swirl by artist Jim Campbell.