Alexander CalderPersonnages1967
1967
About the Item
- Creator:Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976, American)
- Creation Year:1967
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 43.25 in (109.86 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Palm Desert, CA
- Reference Number:
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...Ships From: Jackson, WY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- UntitledBy David SalleLocated in Palm Desert, CA"Untitled" is a watercolor on paper made by David Salle in 1984. The work is signed in pencil, lower right, "David Salle". The art size is 18 x 24 inches. The framed size is 23 3/4 x...Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor
- Trois personnages nusBy Francis PicabiaLocated in Palm Desert, CA"Trois personnages nus" is a black conté crayon drawing on buff papaer by Francis Picabia. The artwork is signed in crayon, lower left, "Francis Picabia". The framed work measures 27 1/2 x 24 x 1 1/2 in. The Comité Francis Picabia has confirmed the authenticity of this drawing. Francis Picabia was an important French painter who experimented with a wide range of styles throughout his career and whose writings about art were influential in the development of the Dada movement...Category
1920s Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Conté, Crayon
- Strange Lovers (The Hard Marriage)Located in Palm Desert, CAA drawing by Irving Norman. "Strange Lovers (The Hard Marriage)" is a social surrealist painting, ink and colored pencil on paper in blacks and brown...Category
Early 20th Century Post-War Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsColor Pencil
- The MatadorBy Elaine de KooningLocated in Palm Desert, CA"The Matador" is a gouache on paper by Elaine de Kooning. The artwork is signed lower left, "E. de K." The framed piece measures 15 3/8 x 17 1/4 x 3/4 in....Category
1950s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Gouache
- Sculpture MotivesBy Henry MooreLocated in Palm Desert, CAA drawing by Henry Moore. "Sculpture Motives" is a semi-abstract, figurative drawing, ink, watercolor, and wax crayon on paper in beige, white, and black platte by British modern art...Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor, Wax Crayon, Ink
- Los Angeles Sushi Ghost Tales/Flying SushiBy Masami TeraokaLocated in Palm Desert, CA"Los Angeles Sushi Ghost Tales/Flying Sushi" is a work on paper mounted as a scroll by the Japanese American artist Masami Teraoka. The framed work measures 91 x 22.25 x 2 in. Is th...Category
1970s Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor, Paper
- Original Art deco gouache and ink drawing of Jane Marnac in a hat by Gesmar 1921By Charles GesmarLocated in Petworth, West SussexCharles Gesmar (French, 1900 - 1928) Portrait of Jane Marnac, 1921 Gouache and ink on paper with some watercolour Signed ‘C. Gesmar. 21’ (upper left) 18 x 18 in. (45.8 x 45.8 cm.) Gesmar had a very short but successful artistic career prior to his tragic death from pneumonia. He designed for Mistinguett, creating costumes as well as many other commissions for the theatres of the day in Paris. He worked with posters and is thought of as a talent equal to Leon Bakst, his graphic designs linking the works of Toulouse Lautrec and Rene Grau...Category
Early 20th Century Art Deco Nude Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
- Sea Battle - (Stories from the Edda)By Arthur RackhamLocated in Miami, FLSigned, "A Rackham" lower right Sotheby's New York Arthur Rackham is widely regarded as one of the leading illustrators from the 'Golden Age' of British book illustration Rackham...Category
Early 1900s Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsIndia Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
- Study after Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment”By Michelangelo BuonarrotiLocated in New York, NYItalian School, 16th Century Provenance: Private Collection, New York This intriguing drawing is a study by an anonymous 16th-century Italian artist after a vignette in Michelangelo’s fresco of The Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel. The altar wall of the Sistine Chapel was already richly decorated when Pope Clement VII commissioned Michelangelo to paint his Last Judgment...Category
16th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Gouache
- Two Balinese Beauties (Mapeed), circa 1945By Johan Rudolf BonnetLocated in Amsterdam, NLRudolf Bonnet (1895-1978) 'Mepèèd' (Mapeed) Signed lower right Titled upper right Pastel on gouache pigmented paper, 57 x 34 cm In original carved ebo...Category
1940s Nude Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Crayon, Pastel, Gouache, Pencil
- Phil RichardsBy Brian StonehouseLocated in London, GBCharcoal and gouache on paper, titled ‘Phil Richards’ and dated ‘Friday Dec 8 72’ (lower left), 64cm x 48cm (72cm x 56cm framed).(Provenance: the Artist’s estate (stamped verso)). the picture is framed behind UV glass Stonehouse had an extraordinary life. As a young art student studying fashion illustration, he joined the Royal Artillery at the beginning of WWII but soon became a part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). He was sent to France as a radio operator but three and a half months later was caught by the Gestapo, tortured, given a death sentence and then selected for slave labour. He spent the subsequent war years in three French prisons and five concentration and labour camps, including Dachau. He still managed to continue to draw in some of the camps. Following the war, Stonehouse went to the US and continued his career as a fashion artist painting for magazines like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elizabeth Arden. He was also an accomplished portraitist. His work is celebrated in Brian Stonehouse...Category
1970s Post-War Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Charcoal, Gouache
- Nude - XXI Century, Contemporary Gouache and Charcoal Figurative Drawing, FemaleBy Marta ŁebekLocated in Warsaw, PLMarta Lebek is a Polish artist born in 1978. She currently lives and works in Spain. She studied at the School of Fine Arts and specialized in the departm...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Wate...
MaterialsPaper, Charcoal, Gouache
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.