Rearing Stallion
c. 1928
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
wire, wood, and paint
Dimensions
overall: 57.8 x 34.3 x 24.8 cm (22 3/4 x 13 1/2 x 9 3/4 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls
Accession Number
1996.120.22
Art Historical Context
Alexander Calder's *Rearing Stallion*c. 1928) captures the playful energy of a horse mid-rear with astonishing simplicity, crafted from slender wire, wood, and. Standing just under two feet tall (57.8 x 34.3 x 24.8 cm), this diminutive sculpture exemplifies Calder's early experiments in Paris during the 1920s, where he immersed himself in the vibrant avant-garde scene. A gift to the National Gallery of Art Mr. and Mrs. G. Perls, it now resides in the museum's modern sculpture collection. Calder, an American innovator, pioneered "drawing in space" with wire as his primary medium, bending it in...
About the Artist
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was born on July 22, 1898, in Lawnton, Pennsylvania, into a family of sculptors spanning three generations: his grandfather Alexander Milne Calder created the colossal bronze William Penn atop Philadelphia City Hall, and his father Alexander Stirling Calder was a celebrated monumental sculptor. Despite this lineage, Calder first pursued mechanical engineering at Stevens Institute ...