Totem
Artist
Alexander Calder
(American, 1898-1976)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1970
MediumPainted metal
DimensionsOverall: 105 x 109 in. (266.7 x 276.9 cm)
Base: 80 x 45 x 35 in. (203.2 x 114.3 x 88.9 cm)
Base: 80 x 45 x 35 in. (203.2 x 114.3 x 88.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.784
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionPainted metal mobile sculpture. The base of the mobile is black and the mobile arms have four circles in red, yellow, orange, and blue. Label TextAlexander Calder American, 1898–1976 Totem, ca. 1970 Painted metal Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.’s collecting was unusual because of his ambition to represent sculpture as prominently as painting. Since Walter and Jean built an encyclopedic collection for a public museum, they preferred large and bold works of art, and this Calder is no exception. Calder was a leading abstract sculptor working in New York, literally putting art into motion. He carefully balanced abstract sculptures and composed shapes derived from plant forms. He added the fourth dimension of time to the physical dimensions of length, width, and depth. Calder’s forms reveal themselves to us as they move slowly through space. As with music, it is only over time that we come to perceive and understand each work’s full personality and structure. This freestanding sculpture is a variation on his famous mobiles, which were usually hung from the ceiling. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.784
