Alexander Calder's Circus.

Alexander Calder (1898-1976) began making his Circus in 1926 while living in Paris. He staged live performances featuring handmade props, music, and lighting. Performances of Calder's Circus, or Cirque Calder sometimes lasted as long as two hours and attracted members of the city's avant-garde. For Calder, the circus offered a dynamic subject through which he could explore the core ideas of balance and movement that would define his artwork from 1931 onward, most notably in his invention of the 'mobile' sculpture.

Herbert Matter (1907–1984) is regarded as one of the foremost figures of mid-century modern design. Born in Switzerland, he developed an interest in photography in Paris in the late 1920s and early 1930s while studying under Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant. Matter worked briefly with Le Corbusier, A. M. Cassandre, and the type foundry Deberny et Peignot. After emigrating to the United States in 1936, he spent the next five decades working as a head designer for Knoll, a professor at Yale University, and as a design consultant for institutions including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Soon after his arrival, Matter also began creating what is now considered the most significant photographic documentation of Calder's life and work, their long friendship affording him unprecedented access.

Gelatin silver photograph (278 x 356 mm, 11 x 14 in), stamped on verso, fine.