Maelstrom with Blue
1967
Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976)
Not on View

The son and grandson of sculptors, Alexander Calder drew from his engineering and illustration backgrounds to create whimsical wire sculptures and mobiles. After coming into contact with the work of Piet Mondrian, however, Calder became an abstract artist. The simplification of forms was a natural fit for Calder’s fundamental interest in constellations, the cosmos, and movement. “The underlying sense of form in my work has been the system of the universe, or part thereof,” the artist once said, and this gouache follows suit. The ringed black-and-white vortex appears to have caught a floating blue form and is pulling it toward its center. At the same time, the feathery touches on the maelstrom’s outermost ring suggest movement away from the center, as if the paint itself is subject to centrifugal force.

Details

  • Artist Name: Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976)
  • Title: Maelstrom with Blue
  • Date: 1967
  • Medium: Gouache on paper
  • Dimensions: 43 x 29-1/4 in. (109.2 x 74.3 cm)
  • Credit Line: Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Mr. W. H. Hal Hinkle, New York
  • Accession Number: P.1986.1
  • Copyright: © 2017 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Reproduction, including downloading of ARS works is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Object Information

[Perls Galleries, New York, sold 1969 to];
Norton Simon Inc., Los Angeles, 1969-1984;
Mr. W. H. Hal Hinkle, New York, 1984, gift 1986 to;
Norton Simon Museum.

Calder Gouaches

  • Long Beach, Long Beach Museum of Art, 1970-01-11 to 1970-02-08
  • San Diego, Fine Arts Gallery, 1970-02-27 to 1970-03-29
  • Phoenix, Phoenix Art Museum, 1970-05-01 to 1970-05-31

The Universe: Creation, Constellations and the Cosmos

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2001-02-04 to 2001-06-04
  • Long Beach Museum of Art, Calder Gouaches, 1970, no. 22
  • Belloli, Jay, ed., The Universe: A Convergence of Art, Music, and Science, 2001, figs. 27, 109 pp. 59, 153
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 621 p. 319

Additional Artwork by Artist

Black Saucers Alexander Calder 1968
On the Blue Alexander Calder 1944
Triangular Maze Alexander Calder 1967

Image reproduction permission may be granted for scholarly or arts related commercial use. All image requests, regardless of their intended purpose, should be submitted via the reproduction request form.

Images may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Additional permission may be required.

Approved requests for the reproduction of an image will receive a contract detailing all fees and conditions of use of the image. Upon receipt of both the signed contract and full payment, the Office of Rights and Reproductions will provide the image. A complimentary copy of the published material must be provided to the Norton Simon Museum.

Reproduction Request Form