Our cover this month, Pyramid and Discs (301/2 in. by 23 in.) by Alexander Calder sold for $3,750 at Doyle’s Prints & Multiples auction in New York City on Nov. 1, 2017. Calder, a highly regarded sculptor, was the fourth generation in his family to take up the art form. One particularly beloved piece, Cirque Calder, is a 3D toy theater, complete with wire structures that allowed the toy figurines to “perform” in motion (not exactly your average diorama project from grade school).
Even with his immense success in sculpture, Calder also dabbled in quite a few other mediums. Jewelry-making in particular seemed to have captivated him. It’s said that he first started making jewelry at age eight, creating necklaces out of beads and copper electric wire for his sister’s dolls. He later resumed creating the wearable form of art and often gifted it to his family members and high-society friends, which included the likes of Georgia O’Keeffe and Peggy Guggenheim.
As “A Year of High-Profile Cases” by Amelia K. Brankov (p. 8) points out, 2017 was riddled with art scandals, Calder notwithstanding. According to artnet, on Oct. 13, 2017 a couple, who had sent a Calder sculpture to the Calder Foundation in New York seeking advice on how to properly restore it, filed suit in French court, “accusing the foundation of breach of confidence for allegedly withholding the work and raising doubts about its authenticity for the wrong reasons.” It looks as if 2018 is “shaping up” to be another interesting year.