Alexander Calder

i. Roberta Camp, Dallas (gift of the artist in 1949)
Otis and Velma Dozier, Dallas
Thence by descent to the present owner in 1988
ii. See above for complete provenance information

'Untitled (The Drawing of Flower)' is in good condition overall. The sheet is hinged intermittently on the reverse to the backing board. The top and bottom edges are deckled. There is pale time staining to the sheet, minor surface soiling, and crease marks running vertically and horizontally through the sheet. There are a few points of stray media, due to the artist’s working method. 'Untitled (The Drawing of Flower)' is framed under Plexiglas. The accompanying drawings, photographs and letters all exhibit minor signs of wear and light handling, and are being offered secured in plastic sleeves within 2 binders.
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.

Otis and Velma Dozier were pillars of the Dallas art scene from the 1930s onward, helping to establish the city as a major hub for burgeoning artists and center for Contemporary Art. Otis Dozier was himself an acclaimed artist, member of the Dallas Artists League and the Dallas Nine artists group. Dozier’s work, characterized by vibrant colors and a push toward abstraction, was selected for the First National Exhibition of American Art in New York in 1936 and the American Art Today exhibition shown during the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. He won many significant awards for his work, including one from New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1933. It was during the 1930s that the Dallas art scene became noticed by the global arts community, thanks in large part to the contributions of the Doziers.

Velma had seen a show in 1947/48 featuring Calder’s whimsical jewelry creations and fell in love with his work. When Calder came to visit Dallas in 1948, the Doziers gave Calder a tour of the city and Otis’ workshop, and thus began a several decades-long friendship between Otis & Velma Dozier and Sandy and Louisa Calder. Calder wrote in a letter following this trip:

6 Dec 48
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Dozier,
I’m sorry to have taken so long to write and thank you for being so kind to Louisa and me that day we came down in Dallas… I hope you will come to Roxbury sometime and I will take great pleasure in showing you my shop. I remember your various workshops with a great deal of interest – especially the stone cutting apparatus.
Cordially yours,
Sandy Calder

Otis and Velma had a close relationship to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts (now called the Dallas Museum of Art), and when the couple’s friend and Dallas socialite Roberta Camp decided to plan an exhibition for the 1949 Dallas Flower Club, Velma immediately thought of Calder’s work. Calder agreed to create a large scale mobile commission, titled Flower, which would be the museum’s first purchase of Postwar art. As he was finalizing the work, Calder wrote a letter to Roberta Camp, care of Otis, in March 1949, and included with his letter drawings and diagrams of the mobile, seen in the present lot.

8 Mar 49
Dear Mrs. Camp,
I think this diagram will be better than a photo. There are 3 hooks, and they should go together so that the whole object could be in a vertical plane (if it would stay there) with the small extremities pointing away from the large extremities – the only exception is the 2 blue wires – with flower which point out, one to each side…It would be well to hang the ‘object’ low, so that the horizontal will be visible. The parts that catch the wind best are the 4 discs in vertical planes at the top – therefore play the fan on these. It need not be very large – but the breeze may be best when intermittent…I will pack and ship it in a few days, as soon as it is quite dry.
Cordial greetings to you all,
Sandy Calder

This mobile, Flower (1949), is still in the collection of the Dallas Museum of Art, thanks to the Dozier’s relationship with Sandy Calder. The Doziers and Calders maintained a close friendship in the decades that followed, with the Doziers paying Calder several visits to his studio in Roxbury. During a 1949 trip to Roxbury, Calder bestowed two significant gifts upon the Doziers: a small standing mobile titled Pup (lot 15), featuring a little dog with a red wagging tongue and blue bouncing ears, and a brooch with Velma’s initials, VD (lot 11). Sotheby’s is honored to present these special and personalized works from the Collection of Otis and Velma Dozier.