1966
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.
Une famille de là-bas
By Alexander Calder
Located in London, GB
Alexander Calder Une famille de là-bas, 1970 Signed in pencil and numbered on front of sheet Lithograph in colors, on wove Maeght watermarked paper 53 x 76.2 cm 20.9 x 30 inches Ale...
Paper, Lithograph
Les Oignons
By Alexander Calder
Located in London, GB
Alexander Calder Les Oignons, 1965 Signed and numbered 39/100 in pencil, lower margin. Color lithograph on Arches 52 x 71.8 cm 20.5 x 28.3 inches Edition of 100 Alexander Calder was...
Paper, Lithograph
Le Bateau Lavoir, Lithograph Print, 1969
By Alexander Calder
Located in London, GB
Alexander Calder Le Bateau Lavoir, 1969 Signed in pencil and numbered, published by Maeght, Paris, the full sheet Lithograph in colors on wove paper 55.2 x 75.2cm 21 3/4 × 29 5/8 inc...
Handmade Paper, Lithograph
The Flying Colors
By Alexander Calder
Located in London, GB
Alexander Calder The Flying Colors, 1974 Signed with artist's monogram and dated, from the edition of 250, published by State Street, New York for Braniff International Airline, with...
Paper, Lithograph
Spirals
By Alexander Calder
Located in London, GB
Alexander Calder Spirals, 1969 signed bottom right Color lithograph on Rives BFK, 89 x 60 cm 35 x 23.6 inches Alexander Calder was an American sculptor known both for his innovative...
Handmade Paper, Lithograph
The Flying Colors
By Alexander Calder
Located in London, GB
Alexander Calder The Flying Colors, 1974 Signed with artist's monogram and dated, from the edition of 250, published by State Street, New York for Braniff International Airline, with...
Paper, Lithograph
Alexander Calder Mid Century Derrière le Miroir Lithograph
By Alexander Calder
Located in Soquel, CA
Vintage 1960s Alexander Calder Lithograph double page part of portfolio "Derriere le Miroir". Published by: Galerie Maeght, Paris, 1966. No. 156. Text on verso. Unsigned, from an unknown edition. Presented in black mat with red core. Mat size: 20"H x 24"W. Image size: 15"H x 22"W. American artist Alexander Calder changed the course of modern art by developing an innovative method of sculpting, bending, and twisting wire to create three-dimensional “drawings in space.” Resonating with the Futurists and Constructivists, as well as the language of early nonobjective painting, Calder’s mobiles (a term coined by Marcel Duchamp in 1931 to describe his work) consist of abstract shapes made of industrial materials––often poetic and gracefully formed and at times boldly colored––that hang in an uncanny, perfect balance. His complex assemblage Cirque Calder (1926–31), which allowed for the artist’s manipulation of its various characters presented before an audience, predated Performance Art by some 40 years. Later in his career, Calder devoted himself to making outdoor monumental sculptures...
Paper, Ink
Alexander Calder, Original Lithograph 15/90, Les Queles Deqoulinantes 1966
By Alexander Calder
Located in Stockholm, SE
A lithograph by Alexander Calder namned Les Queles Deqoulinantes. This is number 15 in an edition of 90. It is 76 x 59 cm (framed), 61 x 44 cm (picture). It is reframed but have the ...
Paper
Alexander Calder Abstract Color Lithograph, 1963, from Derriere Le Miroir #156
By Alexander Calder
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Alexander Calder Title: Plate 5 (Derriere le Miroir #156) Portfolio: Derriere le Miroir #156 Medium: Lithograph Year: 1966 Edition: Unnumbered Framed Size: 22" x 29 1/4" Imag...
Lithograph
Alexander Calder Mid Century Derrière le Miroir Lithograph
By Alexander Calder
Located in Soquel, CA
Vintage 1960s Alexander Calder Lithograph double page part of portfolio "Derriere le Miroir". Published by: Galerie Maeght, Paris, 1966. No. 156. Text on verso. Unsigned from an unknown edition. Presented in black mat with red core. Mat size: 20"H x 24"W. Image size: 15"H x 22"W. American artist Alexander Calder changed the course of modern art by developing an innovative method of sculpting, bending, and twisting wire to create three-dimensional “drawings in space.” Resonating with the Futurists and Constructivists, as well as the language of early nonobjective painting, Calder’s mobiles (a term coined by Marcel Duchamp in 1931 to describe his work) consist of abstract shapes made of industrial materials––often poetic and gracefully formed and at times boldly colored––that hang in an uncanny, perfect balance. His complex assemblage Cirque Calder (1926–31), which allowed for the artist’s manipulation of its various characters presented before an audience, predated Performance Art by some 40 years. Later in his career, Calder devoted himself to making outdoor monumental sculptures...
Paper, Ink
People - Vintage Lithograph by Alexander Calder - 1966
By Alexander Calder
Located in Roma, IT
People is an original artwork realized by Alexander Calder in 1966. Original mix colored lithograph on double page. The artwork was the cover design for the art review "Derriere Le...
Lithograph
Alexander Calder Abstract Lithograph, Unsigned, 1966, Derriere Le Miroir #156
By Alexander Calder
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Alexander Calder Title: Plate 6 (Derriere le Miroir #156) Portfolio: Derriere le Miroir #156 Medium: Lithograph Year: 1966 Edition: Unnumbered Frame Size: 21 1/4" x 17 1/4" I...
Lithograph
There are no sparkling gemstones on this necklace, but its value far exceeds the cost of its materials.
Get your dose of Vitamin D while surveying works by the likes of Alexander Calder, Keith Haring and Pablo Picasso.
