Alexander Calder
SPIRALE ET POULPE, 1975
Lithograph in Colors
29 3/8 x 43 1/4 in
74.6 x 109.9 cm
HC (Edition of 75)
Available at VFA
Calder Gardens in Philadelphia opened to the public on Sunday, September 21st.
The building and gardens were designed by Swiss architect Jaques Herzog and Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf. Funding for the project was spearheaded by the Neubauer Foundation.
There are, of course, gardens, with Calder’s sculptures on display in the gardens and in the building, but there are no identifying labels on the grounds or the walls. There is no permanent collection and there are no ‘special exhibits.” The team operating Calder Gardens does not like using the word “museum” to describe the space.
It is situated not far from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, close to the Rodin Museum and very near the Barnes Foundation, which oversees the Gardens' administration and operation.
Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was born in Philadelphia, His mother was a painter, his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were sculptors. Their works are not only on view at Calder Gardens but have been part of Philadelphia’s public art heritage for decades.
Calder made his first mobile in 1931. He thought of it as ‘a drawing that moved.” It was his friend, Marcel Duchamp, that suggested calling it a mobile, which means both ‘motion’ and ‘motive’ in French.
The Whitney Museum is preparing an exhibit to celebrate the centennial of Cirque Calder, the performative art that Calder fashioned in Paris in 1926. High Wire: Calder’s Circus at 100 will be on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art from October 18, 2025 through March 2026.
Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) was best known for his revolutionary blending of materials and techniques and expanding the boundaries of art.
This year, celebrations of his centennial, are taking place in venues around the world.
One of the most unique exhibits of his work is at the Museum of the City of New York. Robert Rauschenberg’s New York: Pictures from the Real World focuses on Rauschenberg’s innovate photography, in which he integrated found objects and places as subjects.
An accompanying book, to be released on September 30, contains photographs that Rauschenberg took throughout his career, reflecting his relationship to his life in New York, to the art world and to his own art practice.
Robert Rauschenberg was also an innovative printmaker. He began working with Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles in 1967. His willingness to experiment and collaborate will be celebrated at Gemini G.E.L in New York and Los Angeles.
Robert Rauschenberg at Gemini G.E.L.: Celebrating Four Decades of Innovation and Collaboration at Gemini in New York is currently on view and will run through December 20, 2025.
References:
Andrew Russeth. In Philadelphia, a Stirring New Stage for Alexander Calder. The New York Times. September 15, 2025.
Aaron Betsky. Calder Gardens: The Anti-Museum as Architecture. Architect Magazine. September 22, 2025.
Hrag Vartanian. Robert Rauschenberg’s New York: Pictures from the Real World, edited by Sean Corcoran. Hyperallergic. September 18, 2025.
