Alexander Calder Lithograph, Derrière le miroir (Calder serpents)
View Similar Items
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6
Alexander CalderAlexander Calder Lithograph, Derrière le miroir (Calder serpents) 1973
1973
About the Item
- Creator:Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976, American)
- Creation Year:1973
- Dimensions:Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)Width: 22 in (55.88 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Very good.
- Gallery Location:NEW YORK, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU354311670642
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.
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 2014
1stDibs seller since 2016
4,236 sales on 1stDibs
More From This SellerView All
- 1970's Alexander Calder lithographic cover (Derrière le miroir)By Alexander CalderLocated in NEW YORK, NYAlexander Calder Lithographic cover c. 1968 from Derrière le miroir: Lithograph in colors; 11 x 15 inches (opening to 15x22 inches). Scattered surface and age related wear; in other...Category
1960s Contemporary Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph
$180 Sale Price20% Off - Antoni Tàpies lithograph (1960s Tàpies prints)By Antoni TàpiesLocated in NEW YORK, NYAntoni Tàpies Lithograph 1969 Published by: Sala Gaspar as part of the 1969 Tàpies catalog. Lithograph in colors. 9x7 inches. Very good overall vintage condition. Printed signature from an edition of unknown. Antoni Tàpies: In his wide-ranging practice, Antoni Tàpies combined rich conceptual concerns with material experimentation and monumental scales. His work was variously informed by early modernists including Paul Klee and Joan Miró and by Art Informel artists, such as Jean Dubuffet, who were his contemporaries. Throughout his paintings, prints, sculptures, and works on paper, Tàpies built a visual language full of thick, impastoed gestural marks and a cosmology of symbols and scripts. His materials ranged from trash and earth to dust and stone, which created a sense of solidity and physicality throughout his oeuvre. Tàpies participated in the Venice Biennale four times and exhibited in cities including Paris, London, Barcelona, Brussels, Berlin, Tokyo, Zürich, and New York. His work has sold for seven figures at auction and belongs in the collections of the Centre Pompidou, Moderna Museet, the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Fondation Beyeler, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Tate. Related Categories Spanish painters. Mid Century Modern. 1960s. Contemporary Art. Abstract art. Tàpies prints.Category
1960s Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
$180 Sale Price20% Off - Joan Miró Derriere Le Miroir c.1967 (lithographic cover)By Joan MiróLocated in NEW YORK, NYJoan Miró lithographic cover: Derrière le miroir: Lithographic cover; 15 x 11 inches. Very good overall vintage condition. Unsigned from an edition of unknown. Portfolio: Derrière le miroir, c.1968. Looks superb matted & framed. Derrière le miroir: In October 1945 the French art dealer Aimé Maeght opens his art gallery at 13 Rue de Téhéran in Paris. His beginning coincides with the end of Second World War and the return of a number of exiled artists back to France. The publication was created in October 1946 (n°1) and published without interruption until 1982 (n°253). Its original articles and illustrations (mainly original color lithographs by the gallery artists) who were famous at the time. The lithographic publication covered only the artists exhibited by Maeght gallery either through personal or group exhibitions. Among them were, Pierre Alechinsky, Francis Bacon, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Eduardo Chillida, Alberto Giacometti, Vassily Kandinsky, Ellsworth Kelly, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Saul Steinberg and Antoni Tapies. Widely considered one of the leading Surrealists (though he was never officially part of the group), Joan Miró was also a pioneer of automatism: a method of spontaneous drawing that attempted to express the inner workings of the human psyche. Miró used color and form in a symbolic manner, developing intricate compositions and a wandering linear style that combined abstract elements with recurring motifs such as birds, eyes, and the moon. During his lifetime, Miró received the Grand Prize for Graphic Work at the 1954 Venice Biennale, exhibited at the first Documenta exhibition in 1955, and enjoyed multiple high-profile retrospectives. Today, Miró’s work—which has sold for eight figures at auction—can be found in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art, among other institutions. His public sculptures and murals are installed in cities around the world, including Milan, Paris, and Barcelona. Related Categories: Mid Century Modern. 1960s. Joan Miro prints...Category
1960s Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
$200 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage 1970s Alexander Calder poster (Calder prints)By (after) Alexander CalderLocated in NEW YORK, NYAlexander Calder 'La Grenouille et Cie': Vintage original 1971 poster for the exhibition Pace Columbus (Ohio) featuring a printed Calder signature. Medium: Offset lithograph. Dimensions: 25 x 32 inches. An original 1st printing in very good vintage condition. Plate signed on the lower right from an edition of unknown. This is an original 1970s poster and not a recent reproduction of any kind. Alexander Calder changed the course of modern art with his three-dimensional kinetic sculptures, which Marcel Duchamp named “mobiles.” Resonating with tenets of Futurism, Constructivism, and early non-objective painting, Calder’s mobiles consist of boldly colored abstract shapes, which are made from industrial materials and hang in lyrical balance. Calder was an international phenomenon during his lifetime. He won the grand prize for sculpture at the 1952 Venice Biennale, where he represented the United States. He earned the French Legion of Honor and the American Presidential Medal of Freedom, among other honors. Calder has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, the Rijksmuseum, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, and the Museo Reina Sofía. His work regularly sells for eight figures on the secondary market. Though Calder is best known for his mobiles, his diverse practice also encompassed standing sculpture, painting, set and costume design, large-scale public installation, and jewelry-making. Related Categories Calder prints. Calder Mid Century Modern. 60s. Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art. Calder figurative. Vintage Calder.Category
1970s Contemporary Prints and Multiples
MaterialsLithograph, Offset
- Alexander Calder lithograph (from Derrière le miroir)By Alexander CalderLocated in NEW YORK, NYAlexander Calder Lithograph c. 1973 from Derrière le miroir: Lithograph in colors; 15 x 11 inches. Very good overall vintage condition; contains center fold-line as originally issue...Category
1970s Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
$200 Sale Price46% Off - Milton Glaser San Francisco Opera 1981 (Milton Glaser posters)By Milton GlaserLocated in NEW YORK, NYMilton Glaser Poster Art 1981: Milton Glaser San Francisco Opera: Vintage original Milton Glaser poster designed by Milton Glaser on the occasion of the San Francisco Opera's First ...Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Prints
MaterialsLithograph, Offset
You May Also Like
- HarvestBy Jenice HeoLocated in New York, NYLithograph of 30 x 40" Oil on Found Objects Limited Edition Print Hand Signed by the PhotographerCategory
20th Century Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
$1,000 - Rust Never SleepsBy Jenice HeoLocated in New York, NYLithograph of 30 x 40" Oil on Found Objects Limited Edition Print Hand Signed by the PhotographerCategory
20th Century Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Where is the Highway Tonight?By Jenice HeoLocated in New York, NYLithograph of 30 x 40" Oil on Found Objects Limited Edition Print Hand Signed by the PhotographerCategory
20th Century Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- On the BeachBy Jenice HeoLocated in New York, NYLithograph of 30 x 40" Oil on Found Objects Limited Edition Print Hand Signed by the PhotographerCategory
20th Century Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
$1,000 - Transformer ManBy Jenice HeoLocated in New York, NYLithograph of 30 x 40" Oil on Found Objects Limited Edition Print Hand Signed by the PhotographerCategory
20th Century Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- California SunsetBy Jenice HeoLocated in New York, NYLithograph of 30 x 40" Oil on Found Objects Limited Edition Print Hand Signed by the PhotographerCategory
20th Century Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
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.