Calder

Description

A beautifully produced monograph on American sculptor Alexander Calder (1898-1976), one of the greatest sculptors of the twentieth century, this book comprises a critical essay, a superb selection of colour plates, invaluable excerpts from the artist’s writings and interviews, a chronology, a bibliography and an exhibition history.

Calder, best known for his ‘mobiles’ and abstract constructions achieved vast popular acclaim as well as profound respect from the art world during his lifetime, perhaps more than any other artist at the time, Picasso included. The extensive coverage of his life’s work assimilates works spanning his entire career, as well as providing a sense of the artist as a person, as it gets behind the scenes of his artistic life to shed light on his work from the perspective of individuals who knew and, to a certain degree, influenced him. The inclusion of documentary photographs of Calder and his studio by major photographers, including Ugo Mulas, Inge Morath and Herbert Matter, allows insight into the ways in which his life shaped his work.

Altogether, the compilation is a wonderful artistic achievement – from the depiction of Calder’s work, to the images captured by established photographers, to the actual presentation of this unique assortment of rare materials.

Carmen Giménez is Curator of Twentieth-Century Art, Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York.

Alexander S C Rower is Director of the Calder Foundation, New York.

Francisco Calvo Serraller is Professor of Art History at the Universidad Complutense, Madrid.

‘Dazzling’ (Times Literary Supplement)

‘Among the big-name artists who lived and worked through the tumultuous and traumatic years of the 20th century, the joyful, celebratory art of Alexander Calder comes as something of a rarity – and a relief. … [Calder: Gravity and Grace is] beautifully produced (and aptly titled) … abounds with hugely appealing photos of this jolly, thatch-haired colossus.’ (World of Interiors)

‘Elegant’ (Brian Sewell, The Scotsman)

‘Gravity and Grace offers an exhaustive look into (Calder’s) his life and work, representing, perhaps, the most comprehensive overview of the artist to date. Excellent.’ (Art Times)‘A trove of studio photographs, 69 all-new plates and a handsome retro look make this perhaps the most satisfying monograph of the year.’ (Canadian Art)

‘The elegant volume of coffee-table-book proportions makes a convincing case that Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was not only the most popular of the twentieth-century but also one the era’s most significant.’ (Public Art Review)