Some interesting sketches and correspondence from Alexander Calder

I received an interesting email the other day, from a woman who had acquired some Alexander Calder ephemera.  She was wondering if I could tell her how much it was worth and how she should go about selling it.

I wrote back and suggested that she either get in touch with the Calder Foundation or a reputable art appraiser in her area. I'm certainly no expert on the value of Calder's work - although I know that his art is highly collected and consistently fetches the highest bids at auctions. I've done pretty well selling my own art but selling a Calder is a completely different ballgame!

Of course my curiosity was piqued, and I asked if she could describe what the items were and how they came into her possession. This is what she sent back. (note: there was a lot of yellow color-cast to the photos which I've tried to remove a bit in Photoshop)

I'm not a handwriting expert either, but I have no doubt that these are authentic!  

Very exciting stuff here, not only because they are from Calder, but as a mobile artist myself I find it interesting to see that Calder corresponded with his clients much as I do - with sketches and notes and hints on installation.  It's amazing to see that he has no problem with the client bending wires and and adjusting hanging lengths as necessary to make it fit within their space!

I'm really grateful to have been able to see these wonderful items, and to be allowed to share them with you. 

Oh, by the way, you won't believe how she acquired them....they were found in the TRASH!