Calder Jewelry [Hardcover]

Alexander S.C. Rower (Editor), Mark Rosenthal (Contributor), Jane Adlin (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 17, 2007

Alexander Calder's jewellery has the same linear yet three-dimensional quality as his famous mobiles, and the parts that comprise each piece are hammered, shaped, and composed in a fashion that echoes the artist's creation of his sculpture. Calder produced more than 1,500 pieces of jewelry, beginning in 1906 when he adorned his sister's dolls with copper wire gathered from the streets. This use of non-precious materials and found objects guided his inventive jewellery technique, from his bohemian years of the 1920s and 1930s to the war years. His jewellery was coveted by the Surrealist coterie, and today is still highly sought after by collectors and museums. "Calder Jewelry" features around 300 bracelets, brooches, necklaces, and rings, all of which are exquisitely reproduced in newly commissioned photographs. Also included are examples of Calder's inventory drawings; the boxes he made to store the jewellery; historic photographs of his jewellery worn by notable patrons, art collectors, and artists (for instance, Peggy Guggenheim and Georgia O'Keeffe); and a chronology. Essays by Mark Rosenthal and Jane Adlin discuss the relationship of these objects to the artist's other endeavours and in relation to the history of jewellery.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alexander S. C. Rower is Director of the Calder Foundation and grandson of the artist. Mark Rosenthal is Adjunct Curator, Contemporary Art, Norton Museum of Art. Jane Adlin is Associate Curator, Department of 19th-Century Modern and Contemporary Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Renown still life and portrait photographer, Maria Robledo is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and Town & Country.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Other Distribution (December 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300134282
• ISBN-13: 978-0300134285
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #999,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable!!, January 27, 2008

By 

Susan W. Swartz "beadmomsw" (Highland Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Calder Jewelry (Hardcover)

This book is a must-have. Whether you are a Calder afficionado who has collected (or wanted to collect) his artwork since the 1950s or whether you are a beginning metalsmith who never even heard of Alexander Calder, you will absolutely drool over the photographs in this book. Printed on thick gorgeous paper, every photo is sharp and clear, as though you were holding the jewelry right in your hand. The book is apparently an exhaustive catalogue of all the jewelry that Calder created throughout his life (much of it for his wife), explaining when he made it and where/when it was sold, often including his handwritten notes and drawings. On the other hand, it is a book solely of inspiration--although he eventually got into cutting, soldering and riveting, many of his earlier pieces are just bent and hammered pieces of wire. But, oh, the shapes he was able to make from that wire! If you are any kind of an artist looking at this book, you will think (as I did), "Oh, I could make that!" which leads me to believe that Calder inspired the past 10 decades of the contemporary jewelry movement. You, too, will be inspired by this book!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful art book not just for jewelry lovers, February 8, 2008

By 

Frank Sosa "sosanista" (north & south, california) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Calder Jewelry (Hardcover)

I saw this book mentioned in the New York Times magazine and thought it might be of interest to a friend of mine who is an artisan jewelry designer so I ordered it as a Christmas gift. When the book arrived I opened it up to inspect it and I was floored by how beautiful Calder's design's are and I was astounded at how his pieces have withstood the test of time (many of the pieces came from the 30s). I normally wouldn't consider myself one who is prone to looking at jewelry design books but this book is more than that it's an art book that deserves a place in any art book collection. Many people who come across this book might have happened upon it via a search for jewelry books but the reader should know Calder was actually not that well known for his Jewelry in fact he was known for sculpture and for inventing the mobile (the modern sculpture that hangs from ceilings).

This book is filled with full page beautiful photographs of hundreds of Calder's jewelry pieces. It's a massive book (in size) with outstanding production value. The photo's are meticulous in their quality and they are beautiful. The stock they chose insure that this book will be able to withstand an extreme amount of handling (the paper is thick). I had not had time to get into the text before I gave it away.

Before I gifted my friend with this book I had another friend preview it and she fell in love with it and this was a couple of days before Christmas so I had to buy another copy for the person it was originally intended for. This time I had Amazon ship it directly to her to insure she actually got it this time. I'm also going to have to purchase one more copy for my own art book collection in the very near future.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew?, March 22, 2008

By 

S. P. Hutchison "metalhead" (Great Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Calder Jewelry (Hardcover)

For all the Calder fans across the globe, here is a new/old art form for your appreciation and amusement. We all knew there were a few delightfully designed pieces of jewelry out there in the universe, but this is body adornment equal to his "CIRCUS" Very simple design, very organic. This book is thoughtfully put together, with breathtaking photos, informative copy and enough pages to keep you happily turning pages for hours. A perfect book for long time Calder fans, young jewelry designers, and people who have yet to go on their "Calder Journey" Thank you, thank you, for a new cherished book!!!