Alexander Calder : the Paris years 1926-1933
Super exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art looking at the work done by Alexander Calder when he lived in Paris and the influence that time had on the rest of his career.
It was particularly interesting following on from the current exhibition at the Royal Academy of the work of the Galerie Maeght which featured Calder.
It started well with the wire portraits he had made of people he met in Paris exhibited beautifully against a white wall and lit so you saw the shadows they threw.
Star of the show had to be the room devoted to the circus he built at this time which he could use to generate income from giving shows. The circus itself was set up but with it were films of how it worked. The whole thing was charming! I loved the two figures which came on and took a third off on a stretcher after and accident and the kangaroo!
A room at the end showed how his work changed on visiting Mondrian’s studio and culminated in a series of large scale mobiles including “Small Sphere and Heavy Sphere” which moves two balls smoothly and elegantly to hit various objects around them and create noise. It was fun to see one the attendants solemnly walk up and set it swinging with a big stick only to have one of the balls get stuck behind an object.
Review
New York Times
It was particularly interesting following on from the current exhibition at the Royal Academy of the work of the Galerie Maeght which featured Calder.
It started well with the wire portraits he had made of people he met in Paris exhibited beautifully against a white wall and lit so you saw the shadows they threw.
Star of the show had to be the room devoted to the circus he built at this time which he could use to generate income from giving shows. The circus itself was set up but with it were films of how it worked. The whole thing was charming! I loved the two figures which came on and took a third off on a stretcher after and accident and the kangaroo!
A room at the end showed how his work changed on visiting Mondrian’s studio and culminated in a series of large scale mobiles including “Small Sphere and Heavy Sphere” which moves two balls smoothly and elegantly to hit various objects around them and create noise. It was fun to see one the attendants solemnly walk up and set it swinging with a big stick only to have one of the balls get stuck behind an object.
Review
New York Times
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