亞歷山大·考爾德

Aimé Maeght, Paris (acquired directly from the artist)
Adrien Maeght, Paris (by descent from the above in 1981)
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2005

Munich, Haus der Kunst; Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Calder, May - November 1975, cat. no. 137, not illustrated
Barcelona, Galeria Maeght, Calder, February - March 1989, cat. no. 44
London, Royal Academy of Arts, Bonnard, Matisse, Miró, Calder, Giacometti, Braque: Aimé Maeght and His Artists, October 2008 - January 2009, cat. no. 19, p. 76, illustrated in color
Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, L'Art en Guerre - France 1938-1947, October 2012 - February 2013, p. 217, illustrated in color

This painting is in very good condition. There are a small number of minute losses in places to the extreme overturn edges, particularly to the lower left edge. There is an extremely faint and very thin 1" curved scuff 1¼" from the top and 20" from the left and an extremely thin and faint ¾" scratch to the bottom edge 3¼" from the bottom right corner. Under ultraviolet light there are a number of areas of apparent restoration, particularly concentrated towards the top right and bottom left corners, and a number of very small inpaintings scattered in places to the top left quadrant and towards the lower right edge.
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.

Alexander Calder’s Personnage from 1946 encapsulates the wonderfully playful tone of his early career in a rare medium for this renowned artist. Calder, best known for sculptural mobiles, was nevertheless a prodigiously inventive artist across a number of mediums, including oil on canvas. While Calder continuously produced gouache paintings on paper throughout his long career, he made far fewer canvases such as the present work. This example in particular is exceptional due to its large size, vibrant colors, and fanciful anthropomorphic forms. Personnage is further distinguished not only by its medium but also by its remarkable history. The painting was acquired from Calder by the esteemed dealer Aimé Maeght who opened Galerie Maeght in post-World War II Paris in 1945, and soon became one of the most influential figures on the Paris art scene. Maeght and his wife Marguerite brought together the foremost modern artists of the day, and developed close personal relationships with many of the key painters active in Europe in the post-war years including Calder. Maeght prompted the sharing of creative ideas between these artists, and encouraged experimentation with new mediums and innovative forms. A major exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2008-2009, which included Personnage, memorialized the close and productive relationship between the Galerie Maeght and the five artists at the core of the collection of the 50 year old Foundation Maeght in Saint-Paul-De-Vence: Bonnard, Miró, Calder, Giacommetti and Braque. Personnage remained in the Maeght family for over sixty years and was included in several other European exhibitions including one in 1989 at Galeria Maeght in Barcelona.

Personnage represents a seismic transition in Calder’s oeuvre, from a primarily representational style to a more abstract aesthetic. The forms of a human and animal are discernable, their wiry limbs recalling Calder’s famous Circus (1926–31) and his portraits such as Josephine Baker (c. 1926), whose lithe forms were often animated by the artist’s own hands. In the present work, these anthropomorphic beings are blended with abstract shapes; their large heads consisting of expansive fields of black, the bulk and weight of which contrast sharply with their linear arms and legs. It is almost as if the negative space in between Calder’s wire constructions has been filled in to create solid mass.

The irregular shapes that comprise the figures in Personnage are clear precursors to the forms used by Calder in his kinetic sculptures. These suspended geometric elements dance through the picture plane with the same gliding grace as Calder’s three dimensional mobiles, stabilized and supported by elongated limbs. The severe geometric lines and cut-outs are immensely sculptural in form, while the branchlike appendages contribute a flowing grace. While Calder’s mobiles often extend outwards in multiple directions, the individual elements of the 1950s works are often thin and two-dimensional sheet metal, acting like sails catching the breeze. In this rare example, Calder expertly translated his delight in both geometrical forms and movement into the medium of painting.

Not only does this image mirror Calder’s artistic development in terms of medium, it also points to his close relationship and affinity for Joan Miró, who he had previously befriended during his time in Paris in the late 1920s. The two solidified their connection at Calder’s Connecticut residence where they continued to share ideas which reinforced the resemblance between their styles. Speaking of his friend, Calder recalls, “I first met Miró in December 1929, when I telephoned him at his studio in Montmartre… We became very good friends and did a whole lot of things together, including going to the same gym. I got to like his paintings and the colors and the characters he used, and we did an exchange… The gym is a thing of the past; but Miró and I go on.” (the artist cited in Exh. Cat. New York, Perls Galleries, Calder-Miró, 1961) Ultimately, Miró helped influence Calder away from traditional modes of representation and towards a language of surrealist abstraction. Miró’s interest in the unconscious and memory can be seen in the dream-like quality of Personnage, in which strange beings romp in an unknown realm.

At the time that this painting was created, Calder also displayed a fascination with the cosmos and the way that heavenly bodies move in space, reflected in the large, radiant sun present in the background. The use of nature and the universe as subject matter was a concern that Calder also shared with Miró. Yellow, red, and orange hues of the setting orb render the figures in silhouette. The colors of the sky are deep and bright, but the brushstrokes of the artist's hand can still be discerned, adding an expressive and emotional ambiance to the setting. While the fantastical visual language of this work is specific to Calder’s own imaginings, this reference to the solar system lends a sense of universality and a tone of mythic legend to the work. A subtle reference to the spiritual realm can also be found in the distinctive hands of the female figure, which allude to ancient mystical emblems thought to ward off evil. As such, Personnage stands as a rare and impressive example of Calder’s oil paintings which illuminate and elaborate on the simultaneous developement of his storied mobiles and standing mobiles. His artistic transition and continuous oscillation between figuration and abstraction is played out within the borders of this canvas, as the spirited figures sway in the sun’s glow and uphold true continuity between this unique and exquisite painting and Calder’s sculptural practice.