2014

Signed and dated lower right: Calder, authenticated by the foundation: A09179

Gouache and watercolor on Canson paper under Plexiglas

  • Provenance: Southern California Collection
    Sold: Sotheby's, New York, October 12, 1991, Sale 1373, Lot 289
  • Notes: Alexander Calder was born in Lawnton, Pennsylvania, into a family of sculptors and artists going back generations. Calder's parents did not want their son to go into the family business, so instead he studied mechanical engineering. Returning to art as a young man, Calder's unique skill set and colorful sensibility would permeate every work he produced, branding them in his unique style. Untitled, painted in 1968, is steeped in Calder's prized bright palette. Set against a bright yellow ground accented with dots, spirals, the bold black butterfly and spiderweb-like asterisk dominates the composition and together with a supporting cast of a snail and worm imbues the otherwise abstract work with the natural world. One sees Calder's gesture in this whimsical painting untethered to traditions.
  • Condition: Generally good condition. Minor toning to the paper. A small spot of paint loss and instability in the blue circle upper left. Repairs to nicks in the paper upper left, upper center and in the center, the largest a 1.5" line. Extremely unobtrusive handling creases scattered along the upper edge. Framed floating and mounted to the back mat.
    Frame: 44" H x 58" W x 2" D

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November 19, 2019 2:00 PM PST
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