Rating and value of paintings, drawings, lithographs by Alexander Calder

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. His extraordinary career is a testament to his genius and the breadth of his output. The artist's current market value is a testament to the passion 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. Calder's most sought-after works are his paintings, mobiles and volume sculptures (including jewelry), which are very popular on the French and American markets. Thus, a Calder painting can fetch millions of euros, as evidenced by his oil on canvas Seven Black, red and blue, dating from 1947, adjudged €2,373,750 at Sotheby's in 2017, while it was estimated at between €762,130 and €1,017,240. 

Order of value from the most basic to the most prestigious

The artist's creations and style

Calder's artistic output was extremely prolific and diverse throughout his career. His creations are distinguished by their inventive use of different types of metal, such as brass and bronze. He meticulously studied the composition of his sculptures and paintings in advance, with the aim of finding a balance. His artistic creations also testify to his great creativity, which takes into account every detail.

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

Alexander Calder, his life, his work

Born in 1898 in Pennsylvania into a family of already talented and famous artists, Alexander "Sandy" Calder is an American artist. His mother, Nadette Lederer Calder, was an excellent painter, while his father, Alexander Stirling Calder, was a fine sculptor. He was educated in the art world from childhood and developed a certain singularity and stylistic identity as an artist.

He graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering. 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, due to his passion for the circus, he began creating numerous sculptures for Calder's circus. He creates and sculpts small automata that he adorns. It's an authentic performance that he presents all over Europe for around two hours. He made the acquaintance of artistic personalities such as Joan Miro, Jean Cocteau, Robert Desnos and Le Corbusier in Paris.

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

In 1932, he began production of his Mobiles, named in this manner by Marcel Duchamp. He fled to the United States with other artists like Chagall to continue producing in peace during the Second World War. He won several awards, including the Grand Prix at the Venice Biennale. 

Alexander Calder's legacy and the success of his paintings   

Alexander Calder is an artist who has inevitably left his mark on the 20th century, through his absolutely gigantic output and ever greater, unexpected innovation. Today, his quotation continues to evolve positively on the auction market ; he is a particularly sought-after artist.

Calder's paintings are unique, reflecting his distinctive world of childhood, surrealism and neoplasticism. Plastic similarities in form with Miro, followed by similarities in Mondrian's treatment of color, form a combo that characterizes Calder's painting. Emancipated from currents, above the eternal abstraction/figuration debate, Calder painted to create and liberate movement.

He would paint on a variety of supports and produce many lithographs, but also decorate airplanes and cars for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also painted on porcelain at the Sèvres factory towards the end of his career.

His signature

Not all of Alexander Calder's works are signed.

Although there are variations, here is 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.