Calder Foundation

Elephant Puzzle

Date c. 1927
Media
Wood and paint
Dimensions
7 1⁄2" × 13" × 7 3⁄4"
Collection
Calder Foundation, New York; Mary Calder Rower Bequest, 2011
Works / Toy 13
Related Timeline
1926–1930 Wire Sculpture and the Circus

Soon after moving to Paris in 1926, Calder created his Cirque Calder. Made of wire and a spectrum of found materials, the Cirque was a work of performance art that gained Calder an introduction to the Parisian avant-garde. He continued to explore his invention of wire sculpture, whereby he “drew” with wire in three dimensions the portraits of friends, animals, circus themes, and personalities of the day.