Alexander Calder

James Jones, Paris (a gift from the artist)
William Pall Gallery, New York (acquired from the above in 1984)
James Goodman Gallery, New York
Private Collection, Philadelphia
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Contemporary Art, 4 November 1987, Lot 87
Private Collection, New York
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Contemporary Art, 1 November 1994, Lot 37
Acquired directly from the above by the previous owner

Humlebaek, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Calder, 1967, no. 161A
Saint-Paul de Vence, Fondation Maeght, Calder, 1969, no. 1999

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the illustration fails to convey the three-dimensional free movement of the hanging forms. Condition: This work appears in generally good condition overall. There is evidence of wear, spot oxidation and spot relevant paint loss, particularly located at the joins of the metal rods, as to be expected with the nature of the moving nature of the elements. There are several scattered spots of residue and accretions on multiple elements which have resulted in an inconsistency to the appearance of the painted surface. The elements move smoothly and freely suggesting a general structural integrity of the work. Should a bidder be the successful purchaser of this lot and wish for the painted surface to be addressed in order to improve the appearance of the elements, the Calder Foundation, New York, has recommended that the painted surface be conserved under their direction.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Perfectly poised in a suspended metallic ballet of ever-changing composition, Alexander Calder's sublime mobile Untitled is paradigmatic of his sculptural dexterity and inimitable aesthetic of hanging forms. With tremendous spatial economy this sculpture creates a self-contained universe of evolution, the elegant simplicity of its elements dancing through space. Tracing sublime orbits around each other as they dangle imperceptibly from their wire harnesses, the elements orientate through both horizontal and vertical axes to heighten the sense of surface animation. The individual painted metal sheets render discrete volumes of colour in space and their movement is determined by the air around them as they interact with the viewer and each other. Long renowned and celebrated for their outstanding beauty and craftsmanship, the sculptures of Calder, epitomised by the present work, are testament to his technical skill, imaginative genius and unmatched talent for three-dimensional composition.

Calder had been grappling with the questions of how to depict abstract forms in three-dimensions since being in Paris in the 1930s. His visit to Piet Mondrian's studio in October 1930 acted as a catalyst to translate the fundamental aesthetic of his art from the representational to abstraction. Although Mondrian's large, light studio was like a spatial equivalent to one of his paintings, it prompted Calder to consider "how fine it would be if everything moved; though Mondrian himself did not approve this idea at all'' (the artist cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, New York, Museum of Modern Art, Alexander Calder, 1955, p. 26). Shortly after his catharsis Calder explained "Why must art be static? You look at an abstraction, sculptured or painted, an entirely exciting arrangement of planes, spheres, nuclei, entirely without meaning. It would be perfect but it is always still. The next step in sculpture is motion" (the artist in: 'Objects to Art Being Static, So He Keeps it in Motion', New York World-Telegram, 11th June, 1932). His resultant aesthetic dialect stemmed from the invention of new types of sculptural constructs that harmoniously integrated solid shapes with linear, ethereal elements. When Calder asked Marcel Duchamp in 1931 to suggest a name for his new constructions Duchamp proposed the term "mobiles". Having broken down the boundaries of established sculpture, this unprecedented art form required a new descriptive lexicon. These sculptures caused a sensation in the Paris art world, earned him worldwide recognition and have of course become synonymous with his name. Having revelled in the challenges of harmonizing sculptural design with technical concerns and site-specific parameters and winning the Grand Prize in sculpture at the Venice Biennale in 1952 for his innovative and ingenious use of sheet metal, Calder became consumed by the possibilities of three-dimensional movement via the hanging mobile format.

Calder intentionally reduced his palette primarily to black and strong primaries; carefully organising counterpoints in red, yellow, and blue, and conscious that colour relationships have a kinetic quality that adds a sense of weight and movement to individual pieces. InUntitled  balance is struck between the various organic shapes through changing colour-relationships. Calder's sculpture provides a certain destiny of movement for its forms, but also facilitates an independent life beyond the restrictions of its structure, which is governed by nature's elements. As Jean-Paul Satre commented, "Calder establishes a general career of movement and then he abandons it; it is the time of day, the sunshine, the heat, the wind which will determine each individual dance. Thus, the object remains always midway between the slavishness of the statue and the independence of natural occurrences; each of its evolutions is an inspiration of the moment" (Jean-Paul Sartre in: Exhibition Catalogue, Paris, Galerie Louis Carré, Alexander Calder, 1946). However, despite Sartre's Existentialist view of Calder's work as devoid of any relative context, Calder himself acknowledged influences from the natural world. Leaves, branches, flowers, and animals served as inspiration for Calder's abstract yet organic forms, and appear in some of the titles of his sculptures. Asked to define his artistic approach, Calder again evoked the importance of his visit to Mondrian's studio: "Each thing I make has, according to its degree of success, a plastic quality, which includes many things – the mass or masses; the sinuosity; the contrast of black to white; the contrast of somberness to colour; whatever element of movement there is in the object, even its manner of suspension" (the artist cited in: Margaret Bruening, "Calder mobiles and stabiles", American Magazine of Art, no. 32, June 1939, p. 361).Untitled is a wonderful example of these "many things" and represents the very best features in balance, colour, design and movement of Calder's inspirational language of hanging sculpture.