ALEXANDER CALDER American, 1898-1976
Wheel and Stripes, 1970
Signed and Dated Gouache and Ink on Canson Wove Paper
74.9 x 110.5 cm. / 29.5 x 43.5 in.
This is an original gouache and ink by Alexander Calder.
It is signed and dated “Calder 70” at the lower right corner.
It was painted in 1970.
The paper bears the Canson watermark and blindstamp.
Note:
Wheel and Stripes makes use of a simplified colour palette on a warm cream paper. The dominant spiral, or in this case wheel, is simply coloured in red and white laid against the blue and yellow stripes beneath. The work is evocative of billowing circus fabrics, in particular the “Big Top” main tent and centre stage of circus performance. Kinetic energy is again implied by the concentric circles of the ‘wheel’ as it is juxtaposed with a static background.
In his 20s Calder attended for a two week period the renowned Barnam and Bailey Circus – proclaimed “The Greatest Show on Earth”. Much of the popular culture we associate with the circus, comes from this iconic travelling show. Full of inspiration, Calder created the moving components of the Cirque Calder in the period of 1926-1931, and performed it in the United States as well as France. The figures were based on many real circus performers, yet every time the Cirque Calder was performed, the routines would be different and spontaneous. He performed the circus for decades after his first show and it is considered a very early example of performance art.
Provenance:
Galerie Maeght, Paris
Sold by the above in 1974 to Galerie Bel'Art, Stockholm
Sotheby's New York, Oct. 22, 1975, lot 88
Private Collection, Pennsylvania
This work is registered in the archives of the Calder Foundation, New York, under application No. A11754
Condition: Excellent condition. A minor, unobtrusive crease at the upper left sheet edge.
It is signed and dated “Calder 70” at the lower right corner.
It was painted in 1970.
The paper bears the Canson watermark and blindstamp.
Note:
Wheel and Stripes makes use of a simplified colour palette on a warm cream paper. The dominant spiral, or in this case wheel, is simply coloured in red and white laid against the blue and yellow stripes beneath. The work is evocative of billowing circus fabrics, in particular the “Big Top” main tent and centre stage of circus performance. Kinetic energy is again implied by the concentric circles of the ‘wheel’ as it is juxtaposed with a static background.
In his 20s Calder attended for a two week period the renowned Barnam and Bailey Circus – proclaimed “The Greatest Show on Earth”. Much of the popular culture we associate with the circus, comes from this iconic travelling show. Full of inspiration, Calder created the moving components of the Cirque Calder in the period of 1926-1931, and performed it in the United States as well as France. The figures were based on many real circus performers, yet every time the Cirque Calder was performed, the routines would be different and spontaneous. He performed the circus for decades after his first show and it is considered a very early example of performance art.
Provenance:
Galerie Maeght, Paris
Sold by the above in 1974 to Galerie Bel'Art, Stockholm
Sotheby's New York, Oct. 22, 1975, lot 88
Private Collection, Pennsylvania
This work is registered in the archives of the Calder Foundation, New York, under application No. A11754
Condition: Excellent condition. A minor, unobtrusive crease at the upper left sheet edge.
