Invited Works: Alexander Calder

The María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation pays tribute to the North American sculptor, Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976) with this exhibition that marks the 50th anniversary of his death. It will display four pieces that form part of the Masaveu collections and were created between 1945 and 1975. They showcase the diversity and coherence of the proposals by this multi-faceted creator. It can be visited from 7 May to 21 June. 

This exhibition, which also follows the context of the Masaveu Collection 20th Century Spanish Art. From Picasso to Barceló exhibition, forms part of a programme of invited works that enables pieces by 20th century artists held in the Masaveu collections to be presented from time to time, in order to raise the visibility of these holdings and add a dynamic dimension to the main exhibition of Spanish art from that century.

In the case of the exhibition devoted to Calder, considered to be one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century, visitors will be able to see four pieces from the foundation’s collection, which are a clear example of other artistic disciplines explored by the artist, such as painting, jewellery or tapestry: 

• The small-format Blue, Orange, Red stabile, which belonged to the prestigious gallery owner, Pierre Matisse.
• The large-format Crag mobile, which is extremely representative of his later work.
• The Nepal watercolour, one of his rare landscapes, in which the primary colours and geometry are suffice to capture the grandeur of a place.
• The tapestry La Poire, Le Fromage et Le Serpent [The Pear, the Cheese, and the Serpent], created as part of a series to commemorate the bicentenary of the United States, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War (1976), in which he refers ironically to American patriotism. 

Image Credit:

• Alexander Calder, Blue, Orange and Red, 1945. Fernando Masaveu Collection © Photography: María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation. Photo: Marcos Morilla © 2026 Calder Foundation, New York / VEGAP, Madrid