Alexander CalderAmerican, 1898–1976Cage within a Cage
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
Whitney Museum of American Art
New York, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- Source
- The museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 75.23a-b
In the catalog
Sources
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Image: Whitney Museum of American Art — © the artist or rights holder
Meanwhile, in the life of Alexander Calder
The whole life1937
“Mercury Fountain” in the Spanish pavilion
At the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne the Spanish pavilion includes Calder’s sculpture “Mercury Fountain”, made of sheet iron and mercury.
1938
His first retrospective, in Springfield
Calder’s first retrospective is held in 1938 at the George Walter Vincent Smith Gallery in Springfield, Massachusetts. Other accounts call the 1943 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art his first retrospective.
1939
Daughter born: Mary Calder Rower
1939–1945
The war years: “constellations” instead of aluminium
During the Second World War Calder tries to join the Marines as a camoufleur but is rejected. Adapting to a scarcity of aluminium, he returns to carved wood in a new open form of sculpture called “constellations”.
1940
His first jewellery exhibition at the Willard Gallery
In 1940 the first exhibition of Calder’s jewellery is held, with success, at the Willard Gallery. His pieces are worn by Peggy Guggenheim, Simone de Beauvoir and other celebrities.
1941
A show at Pierre Matisse’s: few buyers
At Calder’s 1941 show with Pierre Matisse, a copy of the gallery’s sales ledger shows, only a few pieces found buyers; Solomon R. Guggenheim paid just $233.34 for one work. In the late 1930s and early 1940s Calder’s works were not highly sought after and, when they sold, it was often for relatively little money.
