Here's 10 Alexander Calder Artworks You Can Own for His Birthday!
It's completely fair to say that the American artist Alexander Calder changed the course of modern art with his unique work.
By developing an innovative method of creating what he liked to call "three-dimensional drawings in space," Calder put his name on the map and secured his place among art history's Hall of Fame. He was the very first artist to use wire to create three-dimensional "drawings" of people, animals and objects.
Highly resonating with the Futurists and Constructivists, as well as sharing a lot of common ground with representatives of early nonobjective painters, Alexander Calder's mobiles (a term coined by Marcel Duchamp in the year of 1931 to describe his colleague's work) consisted of abstract shapes made of industrial materials, all gracefully formed and always boldly colored.
Regardless of the medium, all of his artworks were renowned for being characterized by an uncanny, perfect visual balance. In addition to his abstract sculptures, Calder also created paintings, jewelry, theater sets and costumes, as well as prints, which will be our today's topic.
In order to celebrate the fact 22nd of July will mark 120 years since the artist's birth, we've assembled a list of ten interesting prints by Alexander Calder that show just how accomplished and exciting he was when dealing with mediums outside of the sculpture realm, described by some as his so-called comfort zone.
All of these artworks are available for immediate purchasing and are just a few clicks away from becoming a part of your collection.
Featured image: Alexander Calder - Tank Trap, 1975. All images courtesy of their respective galleries.
Pennants, 1965
This vivid color lithograph, titled as Pennants, was created in the year 1965. Made with the intent of depicting visuals that resemble the movement of flags on wind, Pennants is a true celebration of shapes and colors, and a great indicator of how playful Alexander Calder's abstraction could get.
See more info about the work here.
Spring Carnival, 1965
Also made in the year 1965, Spring Carnival shares a lot of visual cues and characteristics with Pennants. This color lithograph aims at instilling the lifeful sense of an atmosphere only present during large carnival.
See more info about the work here.
Caracol, 1975
Created about ten years after our first two entries, Caracol is yet another color lithograph that made its way onto this list. Recreating the visual impact of observing a slug's shell, this work is another great sample of Calder's masterful abstraction - colorful, minimalistic and utterly captivating.
See more info about the work here.
Landscape, 1975
Relying exclusively on simple patterns and hues, Landscape is Alexander's version of what's probably the most traditional painterly genre out there. Of course, the artist' take on landscapes is engulfed in his characteristic abstraction.
As usual, the name Calder chose for his work tells us a lot about what he wanted to depict with the print, but there are no real restrictions on how you should be interpreting it.
See more info about the work here.
Spirals and Forms, 1965
An engaging and absorbing, maybe even borderline hypnotic piece, Spirals and Forms is a color lithograph that simply screams Alexander Calder's name from its every detail.
The printmaker formed the composition in a way that gives it a strong feeling of duality - the left half or so of the piece is drowning in vivid colors, while the right half of Spirals and Forms is a minimalistic game of black and white.
See more info about the work here.
Seahorse, 1975
Marine fishes often found their way into Alexander's oeuvre, and, more often than not, seahorses were the artist's favorite choice.
Seahorse, printed in 1975, is a unique piece in many regards. The work may retain the artist's signature visual style, but it features an unusually distinguishing depiction of the animal and does not go anywhere near full-blown abstraction.
See more info about the work here.
Soleil Noir, 1969
Soleil Noir, translated as Black Sun, gives the viewers precisely what the title indicates it does. It's always a pleasure to sturdy large concentrations of black within Calder's works, and this one has arguably its finest use unrivaled by all other prints by the artist that are currently available for purchase.
Soleil Noir features a completely black sun overlooking colorful fields that are as bright as they come despite the black void overlooking them.
See more info about the work here.
Tempete, 1970
In French, "tempête" means storm and it appears that transferring one onto a print was precisely what Alexander Calder strived to do. Created in 1970, Tempête is a color lithograph on wove paper whose one edition is kept within the famous SFMoMA Collection - and this one can be yours, if you'd like.
See more info about the work here.
Tank Trap, 1975
Alexander Calder's Tank Trap is a 1975 print that's so distinctive and bizarre that any art historian worth his salt will immediately tell you who created it.
Tank Trap features a collection of pyramid-shaped figures of fluctuating sizes and colors, clustered together in a fashion that can only be described as chaotic.
See more info about the work here.
Concentrations, 1980
Our final entry on this list is also the youngest work of art on it. Concentrations is a 1980 offset lithograph on archival board that's been a subject of numerous debates over the last few decades. It's characterized by a stronger sense of Minimalism that any other Calder print currently on the market.
On the other hand, the way its lines and colors are constructed is also unlike most other works Alexander made in his time. Nonetheless, Concentrations is an exceptional piece and it's certainly worth taking a closer look at.
See more info about the work here.
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