Untitled
1948
This mobile sculpture features a delicate balance of geometric and organic forms suspended in space. A thin sheet metal rod extends horizontally from a red tripod base, counterbalanced by a vertical wire armature that supports a small yellow teardrop form. The composition exemplifies the artist's innovative approach to kinetic sculpture, where negative space and precise weight distribution create a dynamic equilibrium. The interplay of industrial materials and graceful lines demonstrates the modernist aesthetic of mid twentieth century sculptural practice.
- Medium
- sheet metal, wire and paint
- Overall
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Sotheby's
Notes
Contemporary Day Auction, Sotheby's, sale on 2026-05-15.
🔨 Auction Lot
Contemporary Day Auction
May 15, 2026
Estimate: $400,000 – $600,000
For Sale
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George Rickey
American · b. 1907
Rickey created kinetic sculptures with precisely balanced moving metal elements that respond to air currents, directly paralleling Calder's mobiles in their use of engineered movement and geometric abstraction in three dimensional space.
Len Lye
New Zealander · b. 1901
Lye pioneered kinetic sculpture using thin steel rods and sheets that vibrate and sway with motion, sharing Calder's fascination with movement, industrial materials, and the animation of abstract sculptural forms through physical forces.
Kenneth Martin
British · b. 1905
Martin constructed delicately balanced mobile sculptures using suspended geometric metal elements arranged in rhythmic sequences, closely echoing Calder's approach to kinetic balance, spatial composition, and abstract formal relationships.
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