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.
$200Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.5 in W 11.5 in D 0.01 in
Vintage Alexander Calder lithograph (1970s Calder prints)
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Vintage early 1970s Alexander Calder off-set lithograph: Published by Art in America, circa early 1970s. Good to very good overall vintage condition. Printed signature from an editi...
Paper
Alexander Calder 1970’s coloured lithograph Asymetrie
By Alexander Calder
Located in London, GB
Original 1970's Alexander Calder Asymetrie coloured lithograph. Foxing to the paper., which should be visible in the photos. Reframed.
Paper
Alexander Calder Lithograph (L'Espoir du Volubius) 1973
By Alexander Calder
Located in Woodbury, CT
Alexander Calder Lithograph, L'Espoir du Volubius(Hope of Volubilis) 1973 hand signed and numbered in Roman numerals XXXIV/L(34/50)
Paper
Alexander Calder Lithographs
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of Alexander Calder color lithographs, France, circa 1960s. We purchased a group of these color lithographs from the estate of a coup...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Selection of Alexander Calder Lithographs
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of Alexander Calder color lithographs, France, circa 1960s. We purchased a group of these color lithographs from the estate of a couple that lived in France from 1951-1983. These are most likely from the limited edition folio “Derriere Le Miroir”, published by the legendary Galerie Maeght. Please see our other 1stdibs listings for more Alexander Calder and Joan Miro lithographs from...
Glass, Paper, Wood
$18,000
H 47.8 in W 34.5 in D 0.8 in
Alexander Calder (USA, 1898–1976) – Color Lithograph "OVERLAPPING", Ed. 79/95
Located in New York, NY
A color lithograph in primary colors by Alexander Calder (1898–1976), framed in a simple black wooden frame. The lithograph is signed "Calder" in pencil at the lower right and number...
Paper
Alexander Calder Lithographs
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of Alexander Calder color lithographs, France, circa 1960s. We purchased a group of these color lithographs from the estate of a couple that lived in France from 1951-1983....
Glass, Paper, Wood
$1,850
H 17.75 in W 25.75 in D 0.75 in
Alexander Calder Lithograph with COA 26" x 18" Mid Century Modern Art
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Atlanta, GA
Alexander Calder Color Lithograph, entitled "Autumn Harvest", American, circa 1960s. It retains its original certificate of authenticity on the back from Collectors Guild. It measure...
Metal
Selection of Alexander Calder Lithographs
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of Alexander Calder color lithographs, France, circa 1960s. We purchased a group of these color lithographs from the estate of a couple that lived in France from 1951-1983. These are most likely from the limited edition folio “Derriere le Miroir”, published by the legendary Galerie Maeght. Please see our other 1stdibs listings for more Alexander Calder and Joan Miro lithographs from...
Glass, Paper, Wood
Selection of Alexander Calder Lithographs
By (after) Alexander Calder
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of Alexander Calder color lithographs, French, circa 1960s. They are from the limited edition folio “Derriere le Miroir”, published by the legendary Galerie Maeght, circa 1960s. Please see our other 1stdibs listings for more Alexander Calder works...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Artist's Proof Lithograph entitled "Birds in Flight" by Alexander Calder
By Alexander Calder
Located in San Diego, CA
Alexander Calder signed "Birds in Flight" artist's proof lithograph, circa 1974. This elegant print by Calder exemplifies the master's poetic exploration of motion, line and balance....
Metal
Abstract Lithograph Femme au miroir 1956 by Joan Miró
By Joan Miró
Located in San Diego, CA
Femme au miroir, 1956, Original Lithograph, Mourlot from 1956 by Joan Miró. Abstract color lithograph in the original 1950s frame with gallery tag on the back. Signed in the stone at...
Paper
"Untitled - Santa Claus Suite VIII" Etching by Alexander Calder
By Alexander Calder
Located in San Diego, CA
Hard to find "Untitled (Santa Claus VIII)" etching on on grand vélin d'Arches paper by Alexander Calder, circa 1974. The piece is one of nine etchings from the unbound illustrated b...
Metal
Anton Fontescu “Volume” Geometric Abstraction Serigraph, Signed and Numbered
Located in San Diego, CA
A striking geometric abstraction serigraph titled Volume by modernist printmaker Anton Fontescu, executed in bold planes of red, black, olive green, and cream. The sharply angled for...
Paper
Abstract Geometric Serigraph of Sailboats on the Horizon by Robert Sargent
Located in San Diego, CA
An abstract serigraph of sailboats on the horizon by Robert Sargent, circa 1970s. The work is signed in the lower right and is numbered 63 of 65 in the lower left. Overall dimensions...
Plastic, Paper
Joan Miró – Galerie Maeght Original Color Lithograph, Paris, c. 1960s
By Joan Miró
Located in San Diego, CA
Original color lithograph by Joan Miró, published by the renowned Galerie Maeght in Paris. This striking composition exemplifies Miró’s mature visual language—expressive biomorphic forms, bold calligraphic lines, and a lively interplay of color and negative space that define his postwar work. #5174 Printed by Maeght Éditeur Imprimeur, as noted in the lower margin, this lithograph was produced using traditional stone lithography under the artist’s supervision. Miró’s Galerie Maeght...
Paper
There are no sparkling gemstones on this necklace, but its value far exceeds the cost of its materials.
Get your dose of Vitamin D while surveying works by the likes of Alexander Calder, Keith Haring and Pablo Picasso.
