Alexander CALDER (1898-1976) - Lot 74

Lot 74
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Estimation :
80000 - 120000 EUR
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Result : 410 000EUR
Alexander CALDER (1898-1976) - Lot 74
Alexander CALDER (1898-1976) Untitled, 1974 Stabile-mobile in sheet metal and copper wire, partially painted red and white. Monogrammed and dated 74 on the engraved base. Height: 13.33 cm Width: 16.50 cm Depth: 5.1 cm This work is registered in the archives of the Calder Foundation in New York under submission number: A-30857 Provenance: - Given by the artist to Mrs. R. ; - By descent to the current owner. "Calder shares with Picasso and Le Corbusier the privilege of having become a household name. When talking about a sculpture that moves, we say "it's a Calder". The name loses its capital letter and becomes an object. Pierre Gaudibert, curator at the Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris. All Alexander CALDER's work is based on movement, which he explored as early as the creation of his miniature circus, his first work. In 1932, he revolutionized sculpture, making his mark on art history by animating his forms with the breath of air alone, introducing an unpredictable dimension. Static sculpture can now be mobile. There is a before and after Calder. This artist accomplished the tour de force of turning sheet metal and iron, raw and ordinary materials, into works of powerful aesthetic and poetic power. A meticulous artist, Alexander Calder took great care in the creation of his works right up to the end of his life. His stabiles and mobiles, often black, are sometimes punctuated with red, white and yellow, in a very reduced register that recalls both modern architecture and, even more so, the legacy of Mondrian, from whom Calder was strongly influenced. Jean-Paul Sartre speaks of the mobile as: "a small local festival, an object defined by its movement and which does not exist outside of it, a flower which wilts as soon as it stops, a pure play of movement as there are pure plays of light". "... the light crossed coming from each side through opposite windows and I thought at that moment how beautiful it would be if everything started to move, although Mondrian himself didn't approve of my idea. I returned home and started painting. But a wire, or some other material to twist, bend or tear is always a better stimulant for my thinking..." Alexander Calder, visiting Mondrian's studio, 1930
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