Flies of the spider web
View Similar Items
Alexander CalderFlies of the spider web
About the Item
- Creator:Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976, American)
- Dimensions:Height: 19.3 in (49 cm)Width: 25.6 in (65 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU23522745541
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.
- Plata 712By Jose MargulisLocated in New York, NYI digitally design 3-D objects and compositions, and cut them in slices from different types of plastic sheet materials. These slices are then fixed to a rigid canvas, a pedestal or held together in space. Most of my work is done using acrylic sheets with different levels of translucency in a range of colors, graphic patterns, textures and photographic images directly printed on the sheets' surfaces. The bright and fully saturated color palettes to which I instinctively gravitate to, is heavily influenced by the traditional Mexican arts and crafts...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Kinetic Abstract Prints
MaterialsLucite
$6,100 Sale Price20% Off - Hot Pink Comp - kinetic wall sculptureBy Jose MargulisLocated in New York, NYI digitally design 3-D objects and compositions, and cut them in slices from different types of plastic sheet materials. These slices are then fixed to a rigid canvas, a pedestal or ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Kinetic Abstract Prints
MaterialsLucite
- Green Molecule 2 - Geometric Abstract Kinetic Art by J. MargulisBy Jose MargulisLocated in New York, NYMargulis’ utmost concern is the creation of geometric shapes conceived mostly by changing the perspective of the viewer accompanied by the philosophical notion that everything in lif...Category
2010s Abstract Geometric Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsPlexiglass, Ink, Acrylic
- The difference between me and you is the I'm not crying - abstract paintingBy Abby HaddicanLocated in New York, NYAbby Haddican is a multidisciplinary designer and artist who lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Abby’s typographic, graphic design, and illustration work has been honored by PRINT, the ...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic
- Five star service two star bathroomBy Abby HaddicanLocated in New York, NYAbby Haddican is a multidisciplinary designer and artist who lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Abby’s typographic, graphic design, and illustration work has been honored by PRINT, the ...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic
- RossoBy Roberto LucchettaLocated in New York, NYThis piece is delicately hand painted with a pen over cardboard. With his unique style and technique, Roberto transfers movement to his art works, making his individual lines connect...Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
MaterialsAcrylic, Cardboard, Pen
Price Upon Request
- Cali - 20th Century, Maurice Estève, Abstract Print, Colourful, LithographBy Maurice EstèveLocated in Köln, DE"Cali" is a typical motif by Maurice Estève. The lithograph in colours was published in an edition of 100. 49,6 x 65 cm. Signed and numbered.Category
1960s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- FlyingLocated in Llanbrynmair, GB’Flying’ By Yutaka Takayanagi. Medium - Relief and lithographic print Edition - 14/20 Signed - Yes Size - 790mm x 570mm Date - 1976 Condition - Excellent. 10 out of 10. Born in Tokyo in 1941, Takayanagi's artistic journey began when he enrolled at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1960, studying under the renowned oil painter Kaoru Yamaguchi. His talent was quickly recognized when he received an Honorable Mention at the 8th Shell Arts Award Exhibition in the same year. During his time at university, Takayanagi took an intensive course in copper plate printing under Tetsuro Komai, receiving his degree from the graduate school in 1966. Fascinated by the simultaneous color print method, he started creating copperplate prints and soon gained recognition for his unique metallic reliefs, which he produced using collages of English newspapers. Takayanagi's passion for experimentation led him to create metallic emboss reliefs using his own photographs, and in the latter half of the 1980s, he moved on to silkscreen prints. He continued to push the boundaries of his art, constantly exploring new techniques and mediums. In 1978 and the following year, Takayanagi was appointed as an arts researcher for the Ministry of Culture and traveled to the United States, France, and the UK. These experiences enriched his artistic perspective and further cemented his reputation as a highly regarded artist. Takayanagi was part of the influential printmaking group Sosaku Hanga, which emerged in the early 20th century in Japan. This movement emphasized the artist's involvement in every stage of the printmaking process, from designing the image to carving and printing the blocks. Takayanagi's work often incorporates elements of nature and landscape, with an emphasis on texture and pattern. He also experimented with collage, incorporating found materials like newspaper clippings and photographs into his prints. Takayanagi's work has been exhibited extensively in Japan and internationally, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. He has also received numerous awards for his contributions to printmaking, including the Japan Print Association Award and the Purple Ribbon Medal...Category
1970s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Minimum colour contrast with orangeLocated in Llanbrynmair, GB’Minimum colour contrast with orange’ By Yutaka Takayanagi. Medium - Relief and lithographic print Edition - 1/20 Signed - Yes Size - 790mm x 570mm Date -1977 Condition - Excellent. 10 out of 10. Born in Tokyo in 1941, Takayanagi's artistic journey began when he enrolled at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1960, studying under the renowned oil painter Kaoru Yamaguchi. His talent was quickly recognized when he received an Honorable Mention at the 8th Shell Arts Award Exhibition in the same year. During his time at university, Takayanagi took an intensive course in copper plate printing under Tetsuro Komai, receiving his degree from the graduate school in 1966. Fascinated by the simultaneous color print method, he started creating copperplate prints and soon gained recognition for his unique metallic reliefs, which he produced using collages of English newspapers. Takayanagi's passion for experimentation led him to create metallic emboss reliefs using his own photographs, and in the latter half of the 1980s, he moved on to silkscreen prints. He continued to push the boundaries of his art, constantly exploring new techniques and mediums. In 1978 and the following year, Takayanagi was appointed as an arts researcher for the Ministry of Culture and traveled to the United States, France, and the UK. These experiences enriched his artistic perspective and further cemented his reputation as a highly regarded artist. Takayanagi was part of the influential printmaking group Sosaku Hanga, which emerged in the early 20th century in Japan. This movement emphasized the artist's involvement in every stage of the printmaking process, from designing the image to carving and printing the blocks. Takayanagi's work often incorporates elements of nature and landscape, with an emphasis on texture and pattern. He also experimented with collage, incorporating found materials like newspaper clippings and photographs into his prints. Takayanagi's work has been exhibited extensively in Japan and internationally, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. He has also received numerous awards for his contributions to printmaking, including the Japan Print Association Award and the Purple Ribbon Medal...Category
1970s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
- Horse Ride-Green, Violet, BrownBy Joan MiróLocated in Ljubljana, SIHorse Ride-Green, Violet, Brown. Original color lithograph, 1969. Edition of 75 signed and numbered impressions on Arches paper. Joan Miró was a famous Spanish Catalan surreal painter, sculptor and ceramicist, but he also created graphics, large installations and murals. His radical style for that time was a contribution to the early-20th-century avant-garde and complete abstraction later. Early fauvistic works showed the influence of Cézanne, in cubist compositions, but also a reference to the avant-garde interests of the painter. Few years later he started to change his artistic approach over the magic realism to surrealism. His surfaces become abstract and stayed like that until the rest of his career. Miró’s mature style evolved from the tension between his fanciful, poetic impulse and his vision of the harshness of modern life. The artworks are reflections of his subconscious mind, filled with pictorial signs, biomorphic forms, geometric shapes, and abstract and semi-abstract objects. He worked extensively in lithography and produced numerous murals, tapestries, and sculptures for public spaces. Miro’s composition...Category
1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
Price Upon Request - About WomenLocated in New York, NYJohn Altoon's work crosses a hybrid between abstract and figurative, influenced by Abstract Impressionism. He used color and line to connect sociopolitical messages with the viewer.Category
1960s Abstract Impressionist Abstract Prints
MaterialsLithograph
Price Upon Request - Three FiguresLocated in Belgrade, MTThis lithograph is part of my private collection. It is limited in edition ,artist signed lower right and is in very good condition. Walter Becker was a German artist. Another impres...Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist 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.