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.
Untitled - Lithograph by Alexander Calder - 1963
By Alexander Calder
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is an original Lithograph realized in 1963 by Alexander Calder from "Derrière Le Miroir" No signature. Very good condition including a white cardboard Passepartout. Alexa...
Lithograph
Abstract Composition - Lithograph by Alexander Calder - 1963
By Alexander Calder
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph on paper realized for Derrière le Miroir no.141, and realized in 1963. Not signed. Very good condition. Derrière le Miroir (“Behind the Mirror”) was the legendary art m...
Lithograph
Untitled - Lithograph by Alexander Calder - 1963
By Alexander Calder
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is an original Lithograph realized in 1963 by Alexander Calder from "Derrière Le Miroir" No signature. Very good condition including a white cardboard Passepartout. Alexa...
Lithograph
Abstract Composition - Lithograph by Alexander Calder - 1963
By Alexander Calder
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph on paper realized for Derrière le Miroir no.141, and realized in 1963. Not signed. Very good condition. Derrière le Miroir (“Behind the Mirror”) was the legendary art m...
Lithograph
Untitled Lithograph, Abstract Style, 1963, Unframed, Very Good
By Alexander Calder
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is an original Lithograph realized in 1963 by Alexander Calder from "Derrière Le Miroir" No signature. Very good condition including a white cardboard Passepartout. Alexa...
Lithograph
Alexander Calder: From Mobiles to Critters - Lithograph by Alexander Calder-1976
By Alexander Calder
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph realized in occasion of Calder's Exhibition at Galleria Rondanini, Rome, 1976. Not signed and not numbered, as issued. Edition of 500. Excellent condition
Lithograph
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
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 - Original Lithograph - Behind the Mirror
By Alexander Calder
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Alexander Calder - Original Lithograph - Behind the Mirror Original lithographs produced in 1976 Dimensions: 38 x 56 cm Source: Derrière le miroir (...
Lithograph
Alexander Calder lithograph 1970s (Calder prints)
By Alexander Calder
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Alexander Calder Lithograph c. 1973 from Derrière le miroir: Lithograph in colors; 15 x 11 inches. Very good overall vintage condition; well-preseved. Unsigned from an edition of un...
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.
