He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 2000 by the
National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
His family moved from Sweden to Chicago in 1936.
He was a leading force in pop art. He is particularly known for his monumental outdoor installations, including a colossal clothespin in Philadelphia, a big baseball bat in Chicago, and a giant flashlight in Las Vegas.
He studied literature and art at Yale. After graduating, he was a reporter in Chicago and took art classes at night.