The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Two Systems

Two Systems

c.1946
(American, 1898–1976)
America, 20th century
aluminum sheet, iron wire, and paint
Overall: 45.8 x 160 x 198 cm (18 1/16 x 63 x 77 15/16 in.)
Gift of Mrs. Odette Valabrègue Wurzburger in memory of her late husband, Paul D. Wurzburger 1999.194
© Estate of Alexander Calder / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: 226B American Modern

Did You Know?

The donor of this work was a member of the French Resistance during the Second World War (1939–45) and helped save the lives of many Jews.

Description

Calder’s training as a mechanical engineer reinforced his lifelong interest in moving objects and inspired him to invent the mobile, a new type of sculpture that ranks among the most innovative discoveries in modern art. Often suspended from the ceiling and set in motion by currents of air as in the case here, Calder’s mobiles slowly revolve as if approximating the behavior of planetary systems.
  • 1999-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1966-1999
    Odette Valabregue Wurzburger, Cleveland, OH gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1966
    (Perls Galleries, NY, January, 1966, sold to Paul D and Odette Valabregue Wurzburger)
    Perls Galleries, NY, Jan. 1966
  • Litt, Steven. "Major Calder mobile given to museum." The Plain Dealer September 2,1999. Mentioned: 1-E; Reproduced: 4-E
    Cleveland Museum of Art, “Mrs. Paul Wurzburger Donates Major Calder Mobile to Cleveland Museum of Art,” September 8, 1999, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Sims, Lowery Stokes. The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006. Mentioned: p. 120, n. 83; Reproduced: p. 103
    Cole, Mark. "American Art of the 1930s to 1950s." Cleveland Art 54 (January/February 2014) . Mentioned: p. 21; Reproduced: p. 21
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016. Mentioned: P. 23
  • The Persistence of Geometry: Form, Content and Culture in the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), Cleveland, OH (June 9-August 20, 2006).
    Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008).
  • {{cite web|title=Two Systems|url=false|author=Alexander Calder|year=c.1946|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1999.194