Alexander Calder

M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York
Ann Jacob Gallery, Atlanta
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 1979

Robert Pierce, Alexander Calder: Mobile, National Gallery of Art US VHS tape, 1979

This work is in very good and sound condition overall. The elements move smoothly and freely. The base and elements have some minor paint loss to the edges, and there is some minor loss along the red wire. Some light dust has settled into the welded areas of the wire. There are scattered light.mes dia and spot accretions visible under close inspection and there are light surface abrasions also visible under raking light. This work was repainted in 1980.
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Alexander Calder was an artist with an insatiable and inexhaustible desire to create. His exploration of the physical possibilities of sculpture led him to create masterpieces of both technical and aesthetic delight. Born into a family of artists, Calder’s father and grandfather were sculptors, and his mother was a painter. When Calder was seventeen, he decided to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, though he was eventually led to a lifelong career as an artist.

Calder’s interest in art combined with his knowledge of mechanical engineering allowed him to test the kinetic and physical possibilities of sculpture. He began constructing his abstract sculptures using cut.mes tal and bent wire to form organic and natural shapes. He originally became known for his “mobiles,” a term coined by Marcel Duchamp, the popularity of which led him to create larger sculptures called “stables,” a term coined by Jean Arp, which were larger, stationary sculptures. One Yellow Crinkle is the result of a marrying of these two concepts into the “standing mobile,” which combines the moving parts of a mobile with the stationary base of a stable.

One Yellow Crinkle is one of Calder’s more playful pieces and indicative of his famous mantra, “above all, art should be happy.” The standing mobile’s particularly lighthearted title enabled Calder to indulge in the whimsical nature of his work. Drawing visual attention to the single crinkle in the painted yellow metal base invites viewers to enjoy the more intimate aspects of the piece.  Atop the tripod base with legs that seem to suggest those of an animal support a system of rods from which weighted pieces and further rods are suspended.

This standing mobile employs quintessential Calder colors of red, black, and yellow. On one rod leans a singular bright red piece of metal, counterbalanced on the other side with 5 smaller black pieces. The result of the visual juxtaposition of 5 metal forms against 1 is a delicate composition, helping the piece achieve both a balance of physical and formal weight. Even though the piece is constructed of thin, precisely cut pieces of metal, the standing mobile is still convincingly architecturally sound. One Yellow Crinkle is an excellent example of Calder’s ability and success at creating works that employ a complex arrangement of forms that result in distinctively innovative and captivating creations.