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Alexander Calder
Handwritten, signed letter

1956

About the Item

Alexander Calder Handwritten, signed letter, 1956 Ink on paper: 2 page handwritten and hand signed letter Hand signed by Calder at the end of the letter on the second page. Unique 11 × 8 1/2 inches Unframed This is the original, handwritten and hand signed two page letter dated February 12, 1956 from Alexander Calder to Chantal (more on her in a bit) and signed "Affectueusement, Sandy". (Affectionately, Sandy). The entire letter is in French, Calder's second language and is full of important references from Calder's life and career. For example, Calder mentions his daughter Sandra and good friend Jean Davidson, who would soon become his son-in-law, and their new home in Sache, France. ("Nous avons une maison.. en face moulin..habite par Sandra et Jean Davidson.") This letter was written only three years after the Calders bought the Sache house. The 1976 New York Times Obituary on Calder writes about this era in his life, "... There seemed to be no country, no function, and no public for which Calder was not in demand. In 1953, the Calders went for the first time to Saché, near Tours, in France, where their friend Jean Davidson, soon to become their son‐in‐law, urged them to buy an ancient house by the river Indre. It was barely more than an immensely evocative hole in the wall. They bought it, and thereafter Saché was, with Roxbury, their home...." (John Russell, New York Times). In this letter, Calder also mentions a forthcoming exhibition of his works at La Galleria Dell'Obelisco in Rome. (According to Calder's official biography, the exhibition at Galleria dell'Obelisco Rome, was held March 14–31, 1956.) Although there is no accompanying envelope, Chantal is Chantal Quenneville 1897 - 1969, the French born painter who lived with her family in Montbard. She first met Calder in 1929 in Berlin, Germany. (Chantal was also best friends with Nina Stein, the second wife of art critic and collector Leo D. Stein, Gertrude Stein's older brother. In 1965 Quenneville donated a significant collection of Stein paintings, drawings, documents and correspondence to Yale University Library which Nina had given to her.).
  • Creator:
    Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1956
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11 in (27.94 cm)Width: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Very good vintage condition.
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1745214303162
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