
Alexander Calder
Derrière le Miroir No. 156 (Circus 3 - Les Gueules Degoulinantes), 1966
Although Alexander Calder might be best known for his wire mobiles, the artist was also an avid …

An original lithograph on smooth wove paper by American artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976) titled …

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 in bolted sheet steel that continue to grace public plazas in cities throughout the world.

Although Alexander Calder might be best known for his wire mobiles, the artist was also an avid printmaker at the end of his career. Featuring primary colors, geometric lines and spirals, and flattened biomorphic shapes, the imagery in Calder’s lithographs is often reminiscent of his sculptural work. While many of …

An original lithograph on smooth wove paper by American artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976) titled "Derrière le Miroir No. 156 (Circus 3 - Les Gueules Degoulinantes)", 1966. With centerfold as issued. Edition issued by Galerie Maeght for "Derrière le Miroir No. 156". Published by Maeght, Paris, …

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 in bolted sheet steel that continue to grace public plazas in cities throughout the world.