San Diego Museum of Art - Beastly Beestinger

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Beastly Beestinger

Alexander Calder (AKA Sandy Calder), American, (July 22, 1898–November 11, 1976)

Creation date: 1968

Creation place: United States

Other Information

Type: Steel and Wire Sculpture

Medium and Support: Steel and wire

Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norton S. Walbridge

Accession Number: 1991.10.a-c

Dimensions: 16 in. x 27 1/8 in. x 18 in. (40.64 cm x 68.9 cm x 45.72 cm)

Provenance

Perls Gallery, New York, New York ( - November 20, 1968)

Mr. and Mrs. Norton S. Walbridge, La Jolla, California (November 20, 1968 - May 30, 1991)

San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California (May 30, 1991 - )

Label Copy

October 18, 2014
Anita Feldman, Deputy Director of Collections & Exhibitions
Alexander Calder
American • 1898–1976
Beastly Beestinger
Steel and wire • 1968
A Philadelphian whose father and grandfather were sculp- tors, Alexander Calder was trained as a mechanical engineer before he decided to begin a career in art by studying at the Art Students League in New York where John Sloan was his painting instructor. During several extended visits to Paris, he was inspired by the works of Paul Klee, Joan Miró and Piet Mondrian to create abstract constructions. His interests led him to experiment with kinetic sculpture, and in 1932 he exhibited a number of hand-cranked and motorized abstract constructions that Marcel Duchamp dubbed ‘mobiles.’ Calder soon followed these with a long series of works whose dispa- rate elements, suspended by threads and wires, moved randomly in air currents. These mobiles ranged from monu- mental works suspended from ceilings to small tabletop pieces such as this one.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norton S. Walbridge
1991.10
Last Updated: 10/20/2014

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Insight: Selections from San Diego Private Collections San Diego Museum of Art , 4/23/1983 - 6/12/1983

The Walbridge Legacy The San Diego Museum of Art , 4/9/1988 - 5/29/1988

Picasso Miro Calder San Diego Museum of Art , 9/15/2009 - 1/17/2010

American Visions: Place and Identity The San Diego Museum of Art , 10/18/2014 - 3/17/2015

American Art The San Diego Museum of Art , 11/26/2016 - 8/15/2021

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Ms. Mary Stofflet. San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 1993
Page Number: 179

The Walbridge Legacy San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 1988
Page Number: 59

The Walbridge Legacy San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 1988
Page Number: 15, Figure Number: 15

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This object is a member of the following portfolios: