Lot Essay
This work is registered in the archives of the Calder Foundation, New
York, under application number A09909.
York, under application number A09909.
Property of a Private Collector
Born and raised in Massachusetts, William Slater Brown (1896-1997) was more commonly known by his pen-name Slater. Throughout his life, Brown's determination to push the limits on traditional academia put him in constant dialogue with writers and painters of his time. Testing the boundaries set by his traditional New England family, Brown was central to several local literary movements and was closely associating with E.E. Cummings and Malcolm Cowley. In 1957 he married Mary James, grand niece of the famous writer Henry James and sister of Louisa James, wife of Alexander Calder. The friendship between the Browns' and the Calders grew and eventually the Browns' were traveling to visit the Calders at their home in France. The following grouping of whimsical standing mobiles was gifted by the artist to Mary James and has descended within the family ever since. These works are superb examples of Calder's ability to combine unparalleled technical expertise with a lyrical aestheticism.
Alexander Calder (1898-1976)
Untitled
Details
Alexander Calder (1898-1976)
Untitled
standing mobile--painted sheet metal, brass and wire
5¾ x 6 x 2 in. (14.6 x 15.2 x 5 cm.)
Executed circa 1958.
Untitled
standing mobile--painted sheet metal, brass and wire
5¾ x 6 x 2 in. (14.6 x 15.2 x 5 cm.)
Executed circa 1958.
Provenance
Mary James Brown, Massachusetts, gift of the artist
Wm. Slater Brown, Massachusetts
By descent to the present owner
Wm. Slater Brown, Massachusetts
By descent to the present owner
Literature
Calder Intime, exh. cat., Musée des Arts Décoratifs and Tokyo Seibu Museum of Art, 1989, p. 205 (illustrated).