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Calder performing the Cirque Calder, from the
film Mobile, by Alexander Calder, ©
1980, National
Gallery of Art, Washington, © 2000 Estate
of Alexander
Calder/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New
York
Quicktime(740k)
AVI
(940k)
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The Circus
Calder's first commission
as an artist came in the spring of 1924, when he was asked to draw illustrations
for the National Police Gazette. In the spring of 1925, his assignment
was the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. For two weeks, he spent
almost every waking hour sketching what he saw. The experience had long-lasting
impact, providing years of material for his creative work. His fascination
with the circus culminated in the Cirque Calder (Calder Circus),
a witty performance with carefully constructed miniature wire characters.
Calder performed it many times from the mid-1920s into the late 1930s,
and occasionally afterward, both for friends and the public in Paris and
New York.
 
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