Alexander Calder

Gift of the artist directly to Virginia Caldwell, Medford, Oregon, 1976
Gift of Virginia Caldwell to the present owner, 2011

This work is in very good condition overall. There are a few nicks and scratches to the metal discs consistent with age and the artist's choice of medium. There is light surface soiling.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This charming mobile has been in the collection of the family of Erskine Caldwell, author of the celebrated novels Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre, since 1976.  In that year Caldwell and his wife Virginia visited Calder in his home in Connecticut to discuss a collaborative project: Calder was to create a series of color aquatints for a special deluxe edition of Erskine's 1936 novel The Sacrilege of Alan Kent. 

 

After lunch, Calder suggested that Virginia accompany him to his studio, where he presented her with a gift of the present work. He explained that it was a maquette he had created while experimenting with ideas for his 1956 commission to build a monumental sculpture for the new UNESCO headquarters in Paris.  Each vertical rod is surmounted with a letter, which spells out the initials UNESCO. 

 

The project was of great symbolic and ideological significance given the great hopes pinned to the UN's ability to foster peace following the end of World War II.  As such, it was fitting that Calder eventually decided on a stabile, entitled La Spirale, in which the mobile form remained connected to the earth at its base. The present work, however, provides an insight into the sense of play which is so integral to Calder's artistic process and which provided the foundation for some of his most important creations.