Alexander CalderSketch for 'The X & Its Tails'. 19671967
1967
About the Item
- Creator:Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976, American)
- Creation Year:1967
- Dimensions:Height: 10.88 in (27.64 cm)Width: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Palo Alto, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: 23551stDibs: LU1567210047232
Alexander Calder
The American sculptor Alexander Calder is known as the father of the mobile, a moving artwork composed of delicately balanced sculptural forms suspended from the ceiling.
Because Calder's parents, both artists themselves, did not want him to suffer the hardships of trying to make a living in art, they encouraged the young Calder to study mechanical engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, New Jersey. He worked a number of jobs, including as a hydraulic engineer and draftsman for the New York Edison Company, before deciding to pursue an artistic career. He never abandoned his engineering background, however, applying his understanding of gears and moving parts in all his artworks, from mechanical toys like the Cirque Calder (1931) and his revered prints to his free-standing abstract sculptures, called stabiles.
In 1926, Calder moved to Paris and established a studio in the Montparnasse quarter. He began creating the many parts of his famous miniature circus from found materials, such as wire, string, cloth, rubber and cork. Designed to be transportable, Cirque grew to fill five suitcases over the years. Always interested in putting forms in motion, Calder also pioneered a new art form called wire sculptures, which he described as “drawings in space.” Like his famous mobiles, the wire sculptures were suspended so that they turned with any movement of the air, presenting different forms when viewed from different angles.
In the 1950s, Calder returned to his roots in mechanical engineering, creating monumental abstract sculptures that verged on the architectural. He worked from loose gestural drawings like this preparatory sketch for his Man Stabile, from 1966. Throughout his career, he also worked as a set designer for the theater, as well as an illustrator and printmaker, producing vibrant, whimsical drawings for books and journals.
Find original Alexander Calder art today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Palo Alto, CA
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View All1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
1940s Modern Portrait Prints
Ink, Pen
1950s Modern Abstract Prints
Screen
1950s Modern Still-life Prints
Etching, Aquatint
1940s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay, Glaze
1940s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay, Earthenware, Glaze
You May Also Like
1960s American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Pen
1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Pen
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Wax Crayon, Ink, Pen
1950s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Felt Pen
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Pen, Pencil
2010s Modern Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Pen, Permanent Marker
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Renowned for His Mobiles, Alexander Calder Was Also Adept at Crafting Modernist Jewelry
There are no sparkling gemstones on this necklace, but its value far exceeds the cost of its materials.
10 Must-Visit American Public Sculptures
Get your dose of Vitamin D while surveying works by the likes of Alexander Calder, Keith Haring and Pablo Picasso.