Alexander Calder, The Acrobats, 1944, plaster, sight 11 3⁄4 x 10 3⁄8 x 7 5⁄8 in. (30.0 x 26.2 x 19.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alexander Calder, 1971.358A-B
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Artwork Details
- Title
- The Acrobats
- Artist
- Date
- 1944
- Location
- Dimensions
- sight 11 3⁄4 x 10 3⁄8 x 7 5⁄8 in. (30.0 x 26.2 x 19.3 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Alexander Calder
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- plaster
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Figure group — male — nude
- Performing arts — circus — acrobat
- Object Number
- 1971.358A-B
Artwork Description
Alexander Calder became fascinated with the circus when a job with The Police Gazette in New York required him to draw cartoons of local athletic events. He went on to study the movements of acrobats, trapeze artists, knife throwers, belly dancers and a vast array of animals. He began his legendary "Circus" piece in Paris, and expanded it over the years until it filled five suitcases and a two-hour show. The Acrobats was inspired by these early studies and represents a brief period when Calder worked in plaster, creating mobile objects that would be cast in bronze.