Alexander Calder

The artist
Henri Seyrig (acquired from the above)
By descent to the present owner

New York, Pierre Matisse Gallery, Calder: Recent Work, May - June 1942

Kunsthalle Bern, Calder, Léger, Bowmer, Leuppi, May 1947, cat. no. 42

Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Alexander Calder/Fernand Léger, July - August 1947, cat. no. 42

Exh. Cat., Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Fondation Maeght, Calder, 1969, cat. no. 138

This sculpture is in very good condition for a work of this date. As is expected for a work of this age, there are scattered areas of wear, primarily on the edges of the stabile and the wires. On the forward face of the stabile (as illustrated), there are small losses to the pigment along the left edge and somewhat scattered on the face, located 6 to 7 ½ in. up from the bottom tip. The wood elements are in very good condition with only one or two minor hairline inherent cracks from age. Over time, a light dusting of airborne dirt has settled on the tops of the wood elements.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"How does art come into being? Out of volumes, motion, spaces carved out within the surrounding space, the universe. Out of different masses, tight, heavy, middling, achieved by variations of size or color. Out of directional lines - vectors representing motion, velocity, acceleration, energy, etc. - lines which form significant angles and directions, making up one or several totalities. Spaces or volumes, created by the slightest opposition to their masses, or penetrated by vectors, traversed by momentum. None of this is fixed. Each element can move, shift, or sway back and forth in a changing relation to each of the other elements in the universe. Thus they reveal not only isolated moments, but a physical law or variation among the elements of life. Not extractions, but abstractions. Abstractions which resemble no living things except by their manner of reacting." (Carmen Gimenez, A. S. C. Rower, Serraller F. Calvo, eds., Calder: Gravity and Grace, London, 2003, p. 47).