Alexander Calder: The Paris Years, 1926-1933 (Whitney Museum of American Art) (Hardcover)

by Joan Simon (Author), Brigitte Leal (Author), Quentin Bajac (Contributor), Annie Cohen-Solal (Contributor), Mr. Pepe Karmel (Contributor), Carol Mancusi-Ungaro (Contributor), Eleonora Nagy (Contributor), Henry Petroski (Contributor), Arnauld Pierre (Contributor), Alexander S.C. Rower (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Calder, who arrived in Paris in 1926 as an Ashcan School realist painter with a degree in engineering, came into his own there as a central figure of the Modern movement. He became known in avant-garde circles for his wire figures and portraits (many represented here), toys and jewelry. Between 1926 and 1931, he built the 70 figures that compose Calder's Circus, which he displayed through 1961. A visit to Piet Mondrian's studio in 1930 provided a shock that started the abstract explorations that led to the mobiles for which he is best known. Simon and Leal, curators respectively at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Pompidou Center, collect eight essays in this catalogue for an exhibition opening in October at the Whitney; the writings examine Calder as illustrator, surrealist and abstractionist. His Circus is examined in depth by Eleonora Nagy, its conservator, and Henry Petroski, who looking at Calder's engineering background likens the Circus in performance to the workings of an internal combustion engine. Both art professionals and the artist's many fans will find much to appreciate here. 235 color and 87 b&w illus. (Sept.)
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Product Description

In 1926, Alexander Calder (1898–1976) moved from New York to Paris and began to use time and motion as "materials" for animating line and space. Calder’s years in Paris––an understudied part of the artist’s career––is the focus of this marvelous publication.

 

A team of international scholars discusses Calder’s many innovations of this period, chief among them his abstract, motorized, and mobile works. They analyze the extended cast of Calder’s animated Circus, made in Paris between 1926 and 1931, and include previously unpublished photographs by Brassaï and Kertesz of Calder and this beloved performative sculpture. The essays critically explore the intellectual, cultural, and artistic milieu of Paris in the late 1920s and early 1930s and the contexts of Calder’s friendships with Miró, Mondrian, Duchamp, and Man Ray, among others. What emerges in this fascinating book is a nuanced and detailed understanding of how Calder’s distinctive career first took flight.

 

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 302 pages
• Publisher: The Whitney Museum of American Art; 1 edition (September 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300126220
• ISBN-13: 978-0300126228
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #200,468 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Artistic Genius of Alexander Calder's Paris Years. , November 28, 2008

By	G. Merritt (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was an American sculptor and artist, perhaps best known for inventing the mobile. He moved from New York to Paris in 1926, where he established a studio in the Montparnasse Quarter. His articulated toys (particularly the "Cirque Calder") constructed from wire, string, rubber, cloth, and other found objects became popular with the Parisian avant-garde. Soon he had become a central figure of the Modern movement.

Many of his abstract, motorized, and mobile figures are represented in this impressive collection of works from Calder's years in Paris, 1926 to 1931. Simon and Leal are curators at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Pompidou Center, respectively, and their charming book collects eight essays which examine Calder as illustrator, surrealist and abstractionist; the intellectual, cultural, and artistic milieu of Paris at the time; Calder's friendships with Miró, Mondrian, Duchamp, and Man Ray; and the significance of Calder's Circus. This entertaining collection will appeal to adults and children alike.

G. Merritt