Alexander Calder Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Alexander Calder (Lawton, Pennsylvania, 1898 - New York, 1976). He studied mechanical engineering. Famous for kinetic art sculptures, mobile sculptures, but also for paintings, lithographs, and the design of toys, tapestries, carpets. Read the full biography

Guide to Alexander Calder price quotations

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist famous for inventing mobile sculptures and hanging kinetic art. Calder's mobiles and stables command high prices from art collectors.

Calder began experimenting with wire sculptures in the late 1920s, creating delicate mobiles that moved with even the slightest breeze. By the 1930s, Calder was making larger mobiles and stables that incorporated metal plates and rods. He called these “moving sculptures.”

Calder's mobiles and stables have become some of the most recognizable works of 20th century kinetic art. Their simplicity of form and graceful motion have captivated viewers for decades.

Prices for Calder's mobiles vary widely based on their size, materials, and artistic importance. Smaller wall furniture made of wire and wood can sell for $50,000 to $150,000 at auction. Medium-sized Calder mobiles around three to four feet tall typically fetch between $250,000 and $500,000.

His large monumental mobiles, some over ten feet tall, command the highest prices. These significant works often sell for millions of dollars at auction. Calder’s “Universe,” an iconic mobile made of painted steel and measuring over 11 feet tall, sold for $25.9 million in 2008.

Calder's stables, or stationary sculptures, also sell for high prices. Smaller steel stables typically sell for $500,000 to $1 million, while his monumental stables made of painted steel plates can reach $5 million or more at auction. Overall, Calder's market remains strong, and his work continues to set record prices decades after his death.

Alexander Calder Biography

Alexander Calder (Lawton, Pennsylvania, 1898 - New York, 1976). He studied mechanical engineering. Famous for kinetic art sculptures, mobile sculptures, but also for paintings, lithographs, and the design of toys, tapestries, carpets. The artist's family passed on to him a predisposition for art and he too, like his grandfather, created valuable sculptural and monumental works. As soon as he decides to pursue an artistic career, he moves to New York and enrolls in the Art Students League of New York art school. In 1926 he went to Paris and began producing toys, which he presented at the Salon des Humoristes. Fascinated by the world of Circeno, he creates a miniature circus with metal wire, string, rubber and recycled objects, designed to be transported in a suitcase, travels with his mini opera, holding improvised shows, inspired by real ones. With the advent of the Parisian avant-garde, the Calder Circus became famous, so much so that the artist began to charge a ticket to watch the performance. Back in America, he designed mass-produced wooden toys. In 1929 he exhibited works made with wire, wire sculptures, in a Parisian gallery, and met important artists, exponents of the avant-garde, including Mirò, Arp and Duchamp. After a visit to Mondrian's studio, he was pleasantly impressed by abstractionism and decided to dedicate some works to him. After a series of artistic experiments, he arrives at kinetic sculpture, set in motion by cranks and pulleys. In 1931 he created delicate sculptures that exploit the movement of wind and air currents. He designed theatrical stage sets and during the 1950s he reached the peak of his career: retrospectives, museums, recognitions, prizes and important exhibitions.