Calder's BMW art car

I love this picture of Calder, in a typical pose, with the custom BMW that he painted for his friend Herve Poulain. It was the first of its kind, and started a tradition of  custom BMW's painted by artists such as Warhol, Stella, Lichtenstein, Hockney, and continues to this day with the most recent version by artist Jeff Koons.


http://www.cartype.com/pages/345/bmw_art_cars

Photographer Milton Gendel's best shot

He drew a picture of me on my shoes' … Alexander Calder's portrait on Milton Gendel's soles

From The Guardian: 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/apr/14/photography-milton-gendel-best-shot

In 1968, my old friend from the US art scene, Alexander Calder, visited me in Rome. I had gone there in the 1950s, when my flat in New York was torn down and my first wife left me.

As an artist, Calder was first-rate, which the world has recognised. But he was also great company: witty and playful, with a brilliant mind. One evening, we went out for dinner. I had been whitewashing my studio and had walked in the paint. When I crossed my legs, Calder took out a pencil, on impulse, and drew my portrait on one of the splattered soles, and my profile on the other. He signed each: "AC".

At the end of the meal, as we walked into the street, I decided to take them off. Calder, who was built like a bear, came after me shouting: "Put your shoes back on – it's the winter, you'll catch a cold. I'll give you another drawing!" But I didn't have far to go. I got the shoes framed eventually. They now sit on my piano and are among my most treasured possessions.

The photograph was taken decades later. It was used as the cover of a catalogue for a show I gave in the museum of Spoleto in 2006. They suggested the shoes be used for the cover, but I wanted to make the image more personal, so I photographed myself reflected in the frame's glass. As you can see, it looks as if I am behind the shoes, falling feet-first. It was a piece of luck, like so much in photography.

I would describe it as a triple mug shot, and one of the most evocative photos I have taken, capturing place, person and situation. It is biographical, too: it shows me holding a camera, with the results of what I can do with a camera. As I was taking it, I was wondering if it would work. I took it in digital, looked at it, realised it was right, and kept it.

Did Alexander Calder Have a Mobile Home?

Here's a cute folk song by David Damrose, lyrics are below, or you can listen to it here:

http://www.americansongspace.com/songprofile/Did-Alexander-Calder-Have-a-Mobile-Home-_-David-Damroze/MjI2MjM~

You can also download it for free here:   
http://macjams.com/song/59993

Did Alexander Calder Have a Mobile Home ?

---

Once when I was in the city
The concierge in the Hotel told me
That on Thursday Nights the Art Museum was free.

So I Pulled on my boots and put on my hat
Had the fellow call me a Taxi
and went down there to see what I could see.

Metal and wires hanging from the ceiling
Various shapes spinning and reeling
And a woman in a Suit explaining what it meant.

When it came time for the Q&A;Session
she asked if there were any questions
I raised my hand and said something like this :

Did Alexander Calder have a mobile home
Was he mentally stabile, did he like to roam
Was he anti-social, did he hang around ?

Could he keep a steady job or was he fired
Was he kind of mellow, was he really wired
Did Alexander Calder have a mobile Home ?

Well, all those city folks gave me a look
Like I never even thought of reading a book
Especially some bald guy wearing a turtleneck Sweater

He walked right up, got in my face
I said to him" Now looky here Ace,
You'll back off if you know what's good for you ".

Near a pointillist painting he poked me in the eye
I never even bothered to ask him why
After that unfriendly Gesture the fight was on.

We tumbled into a Pablo Picasso
His nose on my ear my eye on his elbow
He bounced off a Sunflower and bit off a piece of my ear

We rolled into the surrealism gallery
Fishy lightbulb mustache lingerie
About that time the police had arrived

Did Alexander Calder Have a mobile home
Was he mentally Stabile did he like to roam
Was he anti-social, Did he hang around ?

Could he keep a steady job or was he fired
Was he kind of mellow, was he really wired.
Did Alexander Calder Have a Mobile Home?

Well if you're ever in the city
and visit the museum on a Thursday
It's best to keep your opinions to yourself

Those Art Types take themselves seriously
If you speak you'll probably wind up like me
And spend your weekend sitting in a cell

Did Alexander Calder have a mobile home
Was he mentally stabile, did he like to roam
Was he anti-social, Did he hang around ?

Could he keep a steady job or was he fired
Was he kind of mellow, was he really wired
Did Alexander Calder Have
a mobile home ?


Words/music Copyright 2010 David Damroze (ASCAP)

The Calder Game

Blue Balliett and Brett Helquist have written a series of children's books that offer up an engaging dose of art history cleverly wrapped up in a mystery / adventure story of three 7th grade sleuths; Calder, Petra, and Tommy. 

The first two books were about Vermeer "Chasing Vermeer (2004)" and Frank Lloyd Wright The Wright 3 (2006). The third installment entitled "The Calder Game" focuses on Alexander Calder. 

I think we could have seen that one coming.

The gist of this story is that the three friends visit a Calder exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago (I think I may have seen them there), and then later Calder (the boy, not the artist) and his father travel to a remote area in England that happens to have an anonymously donated Calder stabile on display - The Minotaur.

The mystery begins when both boy and sculpture dissapear on the same night.


I think this is a wonderful way to expose young readers to art.  The reviews on Amazon are generally pretty good for these books as they are known for captivating writing, interesting puzzles (there is a puzzle in this book that is based on the elements of a mobile!), and good characterization.  I did see a few complaints about the plot line on this one though....

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll read The Calder Game because I can pretty much guess the ending and the solution to the mystery of the missing boy and sculpture.


My bet is that a secret agent from the Calder Foundation snatches them both up and ships them off to New York City where they are hidden deep under West 25th Street in a dark, dank, storage room, never to be seen again.  


The Calder Game

How I found Alexander Calder's Roxbury Home

I've always been fascinated about Alexander Calder's home and studio in Roxbury Connecticut.

It's been a curiosity largely fueled by books such as "Calder's Universe", "Calder in Connecticut" and "Calder at Home" that show amazing photographs of the huge studio cluttered with wire, sheet metal, tools, and hundreds of mobiles and stabiles in various stages of completion; not to mention the collection of sculptures scattered across the property, and the old farmhouse (which Calder renovated and painted flat black) decorated with cozy hooked rugs made by Louisa and a plethora of Calder's art and handiwork in every nook and cranny.

I'd love to see it.

Unfortunately, although the property is still owned by the Calder Family, it is not open to the public, and I can only speculate about what is left there and what kind of condition it is in. But I'd be happy to just drive by it, if I ever had the chance.

Well I had that chance last year when my wife and I drove from our home in northeast Ohio to Old Saybrook, Connecticut to visit relatives. Our route led east on interstate 84, where we would be passing about 10 miles south of Roxbury. Perhaps we could make a quick detour and see if we could spot the old place!

The only problem was that I had no idea where it was. ..none of my Calder books listed an address or even a street name. I called the Roxbury Chamber of Commerce to inquire, and the person I spoke to confirmed that the house was privately owned and not available for a tour. She wasn't sure exactly where it was located. I even sent a couple emails to a few places , but received no response. So I gave up on the idea. Maybe someday I would have another chance and would know where to find the house. Better yet, maybe the Calder Foundation would turn it into a museum. I must admit that I felt a bit sad as we drove past that exit on I-84.

I pretty much forgot about trying to find the house until I spotted this item on the internet today.

It's a map to the house. I'm pretty sure it's accurate... it was drawn by Calder himself!

Using this drawing as my guide, I went to Google Maps and found the area where Painter Hill Road intersects with Rt. 47.

Calder noted that the house was about 1.5 miles west of the intersection. I measured this off and put a red dot at the approximate location.  You can see that the bend in the road wasn't quite as sharp as Calder drew it.

Then I noticed that the "Street View" feature on Google Maps was available for Painter Hill Rd.

That was really fortunate. "Street View" allows you to see 360 degree panoramic views taken from street level - essentially the same thing you would see if you were driving down the road.  If I was lucky, the house might be visible from the street!

I went back to my books and found this great picture of the Roxbury House in "Calder's Universe". All I had to do was turn on the Street View in Google Maps and make my way down Painter Hill Road until I found it.

Here it is!

Here's a closer look. The hedge is a bit overgrown, but I'm so glad to see that it looks the same as it did when Calder lived there.

Here's a view to the left of the house. Notice the three windows on the large building.

Compare them to the room in the photo below. It's the old studio! I wonder what is inside of it now?

Google Street View has low resolution pictures. I wish I could read these signs...

Here's a view to the right of the house. You can see a black stabile there.

Going further to the west, you can clearly see Calder's "Southern Cross" .

Hey, the gate is open - let's go check it out!

I guess it might seem a bit silly, but I really enjoyed discovering this on Google Maps.
It's the next best thing to actually being there.  I don't know if I'll ever get the chance again, but if I do, this time I will know exactly where to find it.

If you'd like to check this out for yourself, go to Google Maps and search for:
"306 Painter Hill Road Roxbury Connecticut"

Find the yellow man icon by the zoom bar and drag him over to the highway next to the "A" balloon. Then click on the arrow buttons to move down the road and control your viewpoint.

Have fun exploring, but please keep in mind if you actually visit the area, this is a PRIVATE RESIDENCE.  Be respectful of the privacy of it's occupants, and do not under any circumstances enter the property.



PS: If you enjoyed this, you may also enjoy this post

This is a stick up...hand over your Warhol!

The LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) has an impressive web site that contains many useful and informative features such as a blog, crime maps, community information, special bulletins, and crime reporting tools.

It also features something that is rather unique: a sub-section that is devoted to their “Art Theft Detail”; a unit of two detectives that are responsible for the investigation of all thefts and burglaries where Fine Art is the primary object of attack. The detail also investigates fakes, frauds, and forgeries involving art. It is the only full-time municipal law enforcement unit in the United States devoted to the investigation of art crimes.

The website boasts that the detail has recovered $77,563,992 in stolen art properties since 1993.

Here you will find crime alerts, a list of all current investigations, tips on fakes that are in circulation, and summaries of some really fascinating cases that are well worth reading. I really enjoyed “It’s a Sad Day, Charlie Brown”, a gripping tale of stolen animation art.

The list of stolen items includes ancient artifacts, fine art, collectibles, and even movie props! Virtually every major artist is represented.

I noticed this posting for a stolen Alexander Calder stabile, “Little Roxbury”:

Also this piece by Brad Howe, one of my favorite artists:

How does someone sneak off with a 96 inch tall sculpture mounted on a stainless steel pedestal?

I'll admit that I looked, but I didn’t see any of my mobiles listed there. I guess that you know you’ve made it as an artist when one of your works is listed on the LAPD’s Art Theft Detail. It's probably more likely that I'll be listed as a suspect on one of their crime bulletins someday...

It would be really cool if somehow all of these items could be recovered and then displayed together in a special museum collection!

link to: LAPD Art Theft Detail

I wonder what Sgt. Joe Friday would have thought about all this? Somehow, I don't think he would have been much of a Warhol fan...

David Carter - pop-up artist

Photo by Manny Crisostomo - The Sacramento Bee

Here's an interesting article that appeared in The Sacramento Bee about the Pop-Up book artist David Carter, probably most famous for his book "The 12 Bugs of Christmas".

I refer to him as an artist, because having watched the video (be sure to also look him up on YouTube) of his latest creations, it is evident that he is taking Pop-Up books into the realm of abstract art.

He describes being influenced by Alexander Calder in the interview.

(link)

Paper-engineering master David A. Carter's 'Red Dot' series doesn't do the usual -- illustrate a story. It stands on its own.