Alexander Calder: Francois Premier

The exhibition focuses on a significant period in Alexander Calder’s postwar practice, following his return to France in 1953 after two decades in the United States. It brings together sculptures, ink and gouache paintings, and other works created during 1953 and 1954, a period in which the artist develops new approaches to both three-dimensional and two-dimensional forms. At the centre of the presentation are two major sculptures: Les Granettes (1953), a large-scale standing mobile shown publicly for the first time in 72 years, and The Putney Mobile (1954), which makes its European public debut. Their suspended and interlocking elements demonstrate Calder’s sustained exploration of balance, movement, equilibrium and physical tension.

The exhibition also presents a substantial group of ink and gouache works produced while Calder works from a rural studio near Aix-en-Provence. These paintings echo the forms and lines of his sculptures while developing an independent visual language. The selection ranges from richly coloured compositions to abstracted landscapes and monochromatic, crosshatched figures. Together, the works highlight the close relationship between Calder’s sculptural and pictorial practices, while conveying the imaginative energy and technical experimentation that characterise this formative period.