Work

Ahab

Date 1953

Media

Sheet metal, wire, and paint

Dimensions

14' 9" × 18' 10"

Collection

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Gift of Bruce B. Dayton and Mr. and Mrs. Gerald A. Erickson, by exchange, 1983

Hanging Mobile, Sound-making Work

Historical Photos 2

II Bienal do Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (1953)

Installation photograph, II Bienal do Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, Museu de Arte Moderna, São Paulo, Brazil, 1953

Alexander Calder: Sculpture–Mobiles (1962)

Installation photograph, Alexander Calder: Sculpture–Mobiles, Arts Council of Great Britain, Tate Gallery, London, 1962

Related exhibitions 2

Museu de Arte Moderna, São Paulo, Brazil (1953)

Museu de Arte Moderna, São Paulo, Brazil. II Bienal do Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo. 15 December 1953–28 February 1954.

Group Exhibition

Arts Council of Great Britain, Tate Gallery, London (1962)

Arts Council of Great Britain, Tate Gallery, London. Alexander Calder: Sculpture–Mobiles. 4 July–12 August 1962.

Solo Exhibition

Works / Hanging Mobile 167

Flocons de suie, 1953

'53 Black Dots, 1953

Eighteen Numbered Black, 1953

21 feuilles blanches, 1953

Works / Sound-making Work 38

Double Gong, 1953

Water Ballet, 1956

The Whirling Ear, 1958

Chef d'orchestre, 1964

Related Timeline

1953–1962

1953–1962 Large-scale Developments and Intercontinental Projects

During a yearlong stay in Aix-en-Provence, Calder executed the first group of large-scale outdoor works and concurrently concentrated on painting gouaches. In 1954–55, he visited the Middle East, India, and South America, with trips to Paris in between, resulting in an astonishing output and range of work. Toward the late 1950s, Calder turned his attention to commissions both at home and abroad.