Alexander Calder
The Triangles and Spiral
1973

About the Item

The Triangles and Spiral, 1973 By. Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976) Signed Lower Right Numbered: 66/150 Unframed: 26 x 19.25 inches Framed: 34 x 27 inches Alexander Calder was born in Philadelphia in 1898. After obtaining his mechanical engineering degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology, Calder worked at various jobs before enrolling at the Art Students League in New York City in 1923. During his student years, he did line drawing for the National Police Gazette. In 1925, Calder published his first book, Animal Sketches, illustrated in brush and ink. He produced oil paintings of city scenes, in a loose and east style. Early in 1926, he began to carve primitive figures in tropical woods, which remained an important medium in his work until 1930. In June 1936, Calder moved to Paris. He attended classes at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere and made his first wire sculptures. Calder’s first New York City exhibition was in 1928. Other exhibitions in Paris and Berlin as well gained him international recognition as a significant artist. A visit to Piet Mondrian’s studio proved pivotal. Calder began to work in an abstract style, finishing his first non-objective construction in 1931. In early 1932, he exhibited his first moving sculpture in an exhibition organized by Marcel Duchamp. In May of 1932, Calder’s fame was consolidated by the first United States show of his “mobiles” or moving sculptures. Some were motor driven, some wind-driven, enabling the sculptural parts to move independently, as Calder once said, “by nature and chance.” From the 1940’s on, Calder’s works, many of them large-scale outdoor sculptures, have been placed in virtually every major city of the western world. Calder was prolific and worked throughout his career in many art forms. He produced drawings, oil paintings, watercolors, etchings, gouache and serigraphy. His abstract works are characteristically direct, spare, buoyant, colorful and finely crafted. He made ingenious, frequently witty, use of natural and manmade materials, including wire, sheetmetal, wood and bronze. He also designed jewelry, tapestry, theatre settings and architectural interiors.

Creator:
Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976, American)
Creation Year:
1973
Dimensions:
Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 19.25 in (48.9 cm)
Medium:
Lithograph
Movement & Style:
Abstract
Period:
1970-1979
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Missouri, MO
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU747312365042
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