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.
Malick Sidibé - The Sarakolé Family - Signed print
By Malick Sidibe
Located in Paris, FR
Malick Sidibé, "The Sarakolé Family", shot in 1969, printed and signed in 2006. Silver print, baryta paper. Framed. Malick Sidibé (1936-2016) is today considered one of the greatest...
Paper
Pierre Paulin - Concorde F780 Lounge Chairs with their table
By Pierre Paulin
Located in Paris, FR
Vintage pair of lounge chairs, model F780 called Concorde, with their original table by Pierre Paulin (1966). Each armchair: width 56 cm, depth 76, seat height: 33 cm. Very good cond...
Iron
Vintage Cherner Chair with a unique cowhide cover
By Norman Cherner
Located in Paris, FR
Super rare Cherner chair: a 1958 Design Icon in a unique cowhide cover. Steam-bent walnut wood chair upholstered in cowhide. Design by Norman Cherner. Manufactured in 1958 by Plycraft, USA. If you are looking for an American design Icon, here is one. The Cherner Chair was featured on Norman Rockwell's cover for the Saturday Evening Post in June 1961. The base and seat are molded in walnut plywood. The armrest, unique in its rounded shape is composed of a single piece of walnut. This armchair combines lightness and elegance, it is a favorite piece for a unique decoration! This one, selected by Marie-Antoinette, is maybe the only vintage sample...
Cowhide, Walnut
Triptych. follower of the french impressionist Early 20th century
Located in Paris, FR
Unique paints triptych, each framed in a golden frame
Paper
Pair of brass herons by Michel Jarry (1965)
By Michel Jarry
Located in Paris, FR
The shiny Heron couple Two brass herons by Michel Jarry (1938-1996). Circa 1965. Dim: 55 x 25 x 17 cm each. The artist from Nice had the particularity of sculpting his works himself,...
Brass
The Kiss
By Robert Bouchet
Located in Paris, FR
The artirts transports us to a bourgeois, aristocratic parisian salon from the belle époque, adjacent to a ballroom.
Canvas
Alexander Calder Lithograph (L'Espoir du Volubius) 1973
By Alexander Calder
Located in Woodbury, CT
Alexander Calder Lithograph, L'Espoir du Volubius(Hope of Volubilis) 1973 hand signed and numbered in Roman numerals XXXIV/L(34/50)
Paper
Alexander Calder Lithograph with COA 26" x 18" Mid Century Modern Art
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Atlanta, GA
Alexander Calder Color Lithograph, entitled "Autumn Harvest", American, circa 1960s. It retains its original certificate of authenticity on the back from Collectors Guild. It measure...
Metal
Vintage Alexander Calder lithograph (1970s Calder prints)
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage early 1970s Alexander Calder off-set lithograph: Published by Art in America, circa early 1970s. Good to very good overall vintage condition. Printed signature from an editi...
Paper
Selection of Alexander Calder Lithographs
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of Alexander Calder color lithographs, France, circa 1960s. We purchased a group of these color lithographs from the estate of a couple that lived in France from 1951-1983. These are most likely from the limited edition folio “Derriere le Miroir”, published by the legendary Galerie Maeght. Please see our other 1stdibs listings for more Alexander Calder and Joan Miro lithographs from...
Glass, Paper, Wood
Alexander Calder Lithograph (La Pointe de non-retour) 1976
By Alexander Calder
Located in Woodbury, CT
Alexander Calder Lithograph, La Pointe de non-retour (The Point of No Return), from La Mémoire élémentaire (The Elementary Memory), 1976 hand signed and numbered in Roman numerals XX...
Paper
Alexander Calder Abstract Geometric Lithograph, 1968, from Derriere Le Miroir
By Alexander Calder
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Alexander Calder Title: Plate 1 Portfolio: Derriere le Miroir #173 Medium: Lithograph Year: 1968 Edition: Unnumbered Frame Size: 21 1/4" x 17 1/4" Sheet Size: 15" x 11" Image...
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.
