ART CITIES:London-Alexander Calder

By the 1950s, spurred on by wide public recognition and an increased demand in public commissions, Calder began creating awe-inspiring mobiles of an ever-growing scale. “Blue and Yellow Among Reds” is a distinguished example of these immense structures. Though grand in scale it retains a sense of refinement in its delicate wires and gentle movement. This paradox of monumentality and aeriality creates an astonishing display, with the mobile’s large elements almost appearing to float in mid-air overhead.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo Dominique Lévy Gallery Archive

Encompassing the entire gallery floor of Dominique Lévy Gallery in London the larger-than-life “Blue and Yellow Among Reds” (1964) hovers above the viewer, consuming the space with a spirited performance of vibrant red, blue, yellow, black, and white. The carefully selected color scheme features predominantly bright red circular elements, including two large vertical circles framing the entire mobile and a scattering of four suspended circles drifting in the center of the work. There is a tier of one white and three black elements, and the remaining two pieces accent the palette, as noted in the title, with sky blue and golden yellow. The circular elements slowly dance from the ceiling, the connecting wires twisting under and over each other while retaining a soft sense of balance. By working with primary colors as well as the non-colors of black and white in a not quite symmetrical balance, Calder creates points of references to trace the movement of the “Μobile” and emphasizes the formal elements of physicality and aesthetics in the structure. The Exhibition is as a transatlantic response to Alexander’s Calder “Multum In Parvo”, an exhibition of more than forty of Calder’s small-scale works currently on view in New York.

Info: Primary Motions, Dominique Lévy Gallery, 22 Old Bond Street, London, Duration: 29/4-1/9/15, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat: 10:00-18:00, www.dominique-levy.com