Gagosian Paris Presents Flying Dragon by Calder, and More

Pearl Fontaine

October 22, 2021

Gagosian’s Paris galleries debuted this week a series of presentations featuring the artist Alexander Calder. Inaugurating its rue de Castiglione space is the focused exhibition “Calder: 1975 and Flying Dragon” (open through December 18) while the titular Flying Dragon was presented as part of FIAC’s Hors les Murs. Simultaneously, at the rue de Ponthieu space is a more broadly reaching presentation, simply titled, “Calder.”

Welcoming visitors for the first time on rue de Castiglione, Gagosian’s space overlooking Place Vendôme explores the making of the artist’s sculptural Flying Dragon and other works produced during 1975—like a miniature maquette of the monumental sculpture. Created just one year before Calder’s death, the giant vermillion structure is noted for its combination of mass and use of elegant lines, following Calder’s singular aesthetic, measuring in at 30 x 56 x 21.5 feet. The sculpture itself will reside on Place Vendôme until January 2, 2022, part of Gagosian’s contribution to the Hors les Murs program, which focuses on sharing art in significant public spaces across the city.

And open on rue de Ponthieu through December 18, “Calder” provides a wider glance at the artist’s practice and visual language, shining a spotlight on his use of juxtapositions like stillness and motion, monumentality and ephemerality, and biomorphic forms versus abstraction. Viewers will find works dating throughout Calder’s career, like a series of iconic mobiles—including the 1948 Caged Stone and Fourteen Dots and Double Headed from 1973—pieces from the 1947 Crags series, following his look at kinetic and fixed components, and a suite of gouache paintings in bold primary hues.

Alexander Calder, “Three White Dots On Orange Stalk,” 1952, sheet metal, wire, rod, and paint, 17 11/16 x 26 x 14 3/16 inches; © 2021 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.