fbpx
Alexander Calder
Quattro Pendulati, 1943

Artwork Info

Artwork title
Quattro Pendulati
Artist name
Alexander Calder
Date created
1943
Classification
sculpture
Medium
metal, wood, paint, and mechanical elements
Dimensions
36 3/4 in. × 25 1/2 in. × 12 in. (93.35 cm × 64.77 cm × 30.48 cm)
Credit
The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Photo credit
Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery, New York
Copyright
© Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Permanent URL
https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/FC.532
Artwork status
On view on floor 3 as part of Alexander Calder: Dissonant Harmony

Audio Stories

How is this work like painting in motion?

Show TranscriptHide Transcript

transcripts

SFX: Swirling sound moves from left to right

 

SANDY ROWER:

How do you demonstrate a sequence of time in a work of art?

 

SFX: Another whirling sound, something that implies motion abstractly, moving in the opposite direction

 

NARRATOR:

Artists have puzzled over that question for centuries—how do you show something moving through space or time?

 

ROWER:

Calder decided, he went around the question and presented actual motion instead of trying to describe motion.

 

NARRATOR:

That’s Sandy Rower, who has spent years studying and caring for his grandfather’s art.

 

SFX: Sounds of someone working on a motor, tinkering

 

NARRATOR:
Sandy told us that Calder used some tricks he learned in engineering school—

 

SFX: Motor starts up

 

NARRATOR:

Like adding a motor. The one here is set on a timer, and every so often, it makes those four colored disks move.

 

SFX: Four dongs in different tones, to match the disks intersperse throughout this narration.

 

NARRATOR:

Wait here if you like. It could be an hour. It could be a minute. Calder loved that element of surprise.

 

ROWER:

Calder had this idea of making paintings that were in motion — that would flash form and color. And then from that idea sprung what we know now as the mobiles.

 

NARRATOR:

Like the ones you may see hanging in this gallery.

 

ROWER:

The term “mobile” was coined by Marcel Duchamp.

 

NARRATOR:

That’s Marcel Duchamp—the guy who put a porcelain urinal on its side and called it art.

 

ROWER:

He had been visiting Calder in his studio in 1932 and saw a series of works that were in motion. And Calder said: “What should I call it?” And Duchamp said, “mobile” and Calder thought this was great ’cause it was a pun – in French it refers both to motion but also motive. And both Calder and Duchamp were relentless punsters. So they were having fun with it at the same time as being smart about it.

Read MoreCollapse

Other Works by Alexander Calder

See other works by Alexander Calder

Please note that artwork locations are subject to change, and not all works are on view at all times. If you are planning a visit to SFMOMA to see a specific work of art, we suggest you contact us at collections@sfmoma.org to confirm it will be on view.

Only a portion of SFMOMA's collection is currently online, and the information presented here is subject to revision. Please contact us at collections@sfmoma.org to verify collection holdings and artwork information. If you are interested in receiving a high resolution image of an artwork for educational, scholarly, or publication purposes, please contact us at copyright@sfmoma.org.

This resource is for educational use and its contents may not be reproduced without permission. Please review our Terms of Use for more information.