Alexander Calder

Tightrope Artist
1926–1931

A whimsical wire and burlap sculpture of a figure with a yellow head balancing on a tightrope.
A whimsical wire and burlap sculpture of a figure with a yellow head balancing on a tightrope.

On view
Floor 7

Date
1926–1931

Classification
Sculpture

Medium
Wire, cloth, leather, lead, paint and string

Dimensions
Overall: 5 1/2 × 3 1/2 × 1 1/2in. (14 × 8.9 × 3.8 cm)

Accession number
83.36.47

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from a public fundraising campaign in May 1982. One half of the funds were contributed by the Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust. Additional major donations were given by The Lauder Foundation; the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc.; the Howard and Jean Lipman Foundation, Inc.; an anonymous donor; The T.M. Evans Foundation, Inc.; MacAndrews & Forbes Group, Incorporated; the De Witt Wallace Fund, Incorporated; Martin and Agneta Gruss; Anne Phillips; Mr. and Mrs. Laurance S. Rockefeller; the Simon Foundation, Inc.; Marylou Whitney; Bankers Trust Company; Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth N. Dayton; Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz; Irvin and Kenneth Feld; Flora Whitney Miller. More than 500 individuals from 26 states and abroad also contributed to the campaign.

Rights and reproductions
© Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

API
artworks/5538

Part of a series:
Calder's Circus
88 works

A whimsical sculpture with a polka-dotted blouse, a head, and shoes connected by curved wires, creating a playful, abstract figure.
A whimsical sculpture of a humanoid figure doing a handstand, crafted from organic materials, against a white background.
A rustic, wire-framed figurine with a carved wooden head, cloth body, and metal shoes against a plain background.
Sculpture of a whimsical figure with a round head, wire limbs, and colorful shoes, striking a joyful pose against a white background.
A whimsical yellow figure balancing on a curved wire with red-shoed feet, against a plain background.
Handstand figurine with black shoes and red cheeks on a white background.
A vintage toy dog made of brown fabric on wheels with a pull string, against a gray background.
Sculpture of a whimsical wire figure with a hat and fabric clothing, holding a lasso, against a plain background.
A whimsical mobile with a wooden house and dangling paper flowers against a gray background.

Alexander Calder
186 works in the collection

View artist

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