Alexander Calder: Lithographs

A famous artist of his time, evident by the presence of his art at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris, Alexander Calder is well known today for his abstract paintings and sculptures. However, he was also involved in many other art forms, such as jewelry, costume design and set design.

Towards the end of his career, Calder devoted himself more particularly to engraving and lithography. This flat printing process is reminiscent of his sculptures as it includes elements such as geometric lines, spirals and biomorphic forms. His lithographs, like the rest of his work, were strongly influenced by Piet Mondrian and his iconic coloured squares, with Calder's prints containing the same bright colours. The lithographs may at first glance seem abstract and difficult to decipher, but a careful viewer will recognise human, animal and plant forms within the prints. These lithographs were also a good way for Calder to express himself, to demonstrate his political activism, like for example with his artwork Humanité to celebrate the anniversary of the communist newspaper L'Humanité. Between 1967 and 1969, he produced numerous posters to protest against the Vietnam War, such as Hommage aux victimes. Find the lithographs of the famous Alexander Calder on Artsper!