Untitled (Métaboles)

1969
Alexander Calder, 1898-1976

Sheet metal, wire, and paint, 137 1/2 x 118 in., Promised gift of Jon and Mary Shirley, photo: Nicholas Shirley, Brightwood Photos.

Calder’s interest in performance marked each decade of his career, beginning with his multiact, performative Cirque Calder (1926–31). In the 1930s, Calder collaborated with the dancer and choreographer Martha Graham and contributed to her staged productions, and he went on to work with Virgil Thomson, Jean Vilar, and many others for theatrical projects. This mobile was commissioned for Joseph Lazzini’s ballet Métaboles. Produced by Théâtre Français de la Danse and premiered in 1969 in Paris, the ballet also featured costumes designed by Calder.

The year before, Calder premiered his Work in Progress, a “ballet without dancers” at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome. The result is approximately nineteen minutes long, with Calder-designed costumes, hanging and standing mobiles, stabiles, and painted backdrops, accompanied by electronic music by three composers.