Rating and value of Alexander Calder's mobiles, luminaires and installations

Alexander Calder (1898-1976) is an American artist who is highly regarded on the auction market today. His extraordinary career testifies to his genius and the scope of his production.

The artist's current market quotation testifies to the infatuation his works arouse among collectors, defying time and trends.

If you own a work by or based on the artist Alexander Calder and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will guide you.

Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its value on the current market. Thereafter, if you wish to sell your work, we will guide you towards the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.

Artist's rating and value

By the success and notoriety of his works, Alexander Calder established himself from his lifetime as a sure value on the art market. In recent years, the artist's stock has continued to rise.

With a strong presence on the French and American markets, Calder's most sought-after works include paintings, mobiles and volume sculptures (including jewelry). Thus, a work by Calder can fetch millions of euros, as evidenced by his mobile Poisson volant dating from 1957, adjudged €16,714,100 at Christie's in 2014. 

Order of value from the most basic to the most prestigious

Learn more about Alexander Calder

In just a few minutes, discover the origin, and interest of Alexander Calder's sculptures, mobiles and works. An aerial work influenced by artists

The artist's creations and style

Throughout his career, Calder's artistic output was prolific and varied. His works stand out for their innovative use of all types of metal, including brass and bronze.

He meticulously researched the structure of his sculptures and paintings in order to achieve balance. His ingenuity is also reflected in his pictorial compositions, where every detail is calculated.

His production and style are quite apart in the history of the twentieth century, although they are part of the kinetic art trend  constituting to produce works in motion or giving the impression of motion.

Alexander Calder, his life, his work

Alexander "Sandy" Calder was an American artist born in 1898 in Pennsylvania into a family of already talented and famous artists. His mother, Nadette Lederer Calder, excelled in painting, while his father, Alexander Stirling Calder, excelled in sculpture. From childhood, he was educated in the art world and developed a certain singularity and stylistic identity as an artist.

He graduated in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. In 1923, he joined the Art Students Legaue of New-York to continue his artistic training. Since he was a child, he had been creating works with his father's materials, and never stopped producing. Arriving in Paris in 1926, he presented a collection of toys he had made at the Salon des humoristes the following year.

From 1929, being passionate about the circus, he began to make a large number of sculptures for Calder's Circus. Here, he creates and sculpts miniature automata that he inlays. This was a real performance, which he presented all over Europe for around two hours. In Paris, he met artists such as Joan Miro, Jean Cocteau, Robert Desnos and Le Corbusier.

It's possible to notice a strong artistic affinity with Miro in some of his creations, particularly in the way he uses shapes and colors. He also uses the same color palette as Mondrian in the latter parameter.

In 1932, he began making his Mobiles, which would be similarly named by Marcel Duchamp. During the Second World War, he fled to the United States with other artists like Chagall to continue producing in peace. He won several awards, including the Grand Prix at the Venice Biennale. 

The legacy of Alexander Calder and the importance of his mobiles

Alexander Calder is an artist who has inevitably left his mark on the twentieth century, through his absolutely gigantic output and ever greater, unexpected innovation. Today, his value continues to evolve positively on the auction market ; he is a particularly sought-after artist.

His mobiles are among his most emblematic works, with no equivalent in the history of art in general, nor in his artistic period or the American context of his production.

The artist's talent, as well as his engineering and mathematical skills, go into making them. The structure is ordered, and calculated to the millimeter.

His signature

Not all of Alexander Calder's works are signed.

Although there are variations, here's a first example of his signature:

Expertise your property

If you own a work by Alexander Calder, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal by filling in our online form. A member of our team of experts and licensed auctioneers will contact you to provide an estimate of the market value of your Dunand-signed work.

If you're considering selling your work, our specialists will also guide you through the various alternatives available to obtain the best possible price, taking into account market trends and the specific features of each object.