An outstanding modern lithograph titled "Balloons" by Alexander Calder. Hand signed in pencil on the bottom right with an annotation of XXI/CL on the bottom left. Printed by Mourlot Freres in 1971. COA on verso. This composition echoes Calder's iconic kinetic sculpture known as the mobile, meaning motion and motive in French. The simplistic swirling shapes create a sense of movement and motion. From a private collection. Dimensions: 20"h x 16.25"w x 1.25"d (framed). In very good vintage condition. Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, his static "stabiles", and his monumental public sculptures. Calder preferred not to analyze his work, saying, "Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other peop Galerie Maeght in Paris became Calder's exclusive Parisian dealer in 1950 and represented the artist until his passing. In 2010, his metal mobile Untitled (Autumn Leaves), sold at Sotheby's New York for $3.7 million. Another mobile brought $6.35 million at Christie's later that year. Also at Christie's, a standing mobile called Lily of Force (1945), which was expected to sell for $8 to $12 million, was bought for $18.5 million in 2012. Calder's 7.5-foot-long hanging mobile Poisson volant (Flying Fish) (1957) fetched $25.9 million, setting an auction record for the sculptor at Christie's New York in 2014.

20 x 16.25 x 1.25 in