Nenuphar

Alexander Calder, Nenuphar, 1968, sheet steel, 103 ¹⁄₄ x 106 ¹⁄₂ x 119 ¹⁄₈ in. (262.4 x 270.5 x 302.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1968.62.1

Artwork Details

Title: Nenuphar
Artist: Alexander Calder
Date: 1968
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
3rd Floor
/
East Wing
Dimensions: 103 ¹⁄₄ x 106 ¹⁄₂ x 119 ¹⁄₈ in. (262.4 x 270.5 x 302.5 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of the artist
Mediums: steel
Mediums Description: sheet steel
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Abstract
Object Number: 1968.62.1
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.62.1

Artwork Description

Nenuphar was built at Calder's workshop in France for the 1968 opening of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It is one of the artist's stabiles, or fixed sculptures, and the lyrical shapes cut from sheet steel convey the same gentle, graceful movement as his mobiles. Six silhouettes evoke the dark reflections of the water lily's flowering stalk and curling leaves. In fact, Calder conjured the entire intricate world of a windswept pond, varying the tendrils to suggest the shadowy presence of birds and fish among the lilies.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006