Cirque Calder

Daredevil acrobats, ringmasters, lion tamers, sword eaters, weight lifters, trained seals, panthers, kangaroos and even a unicorn. All it takes is some wire and fabric (and the genius of two great artists) to create a pocket circus. Cirque Calder gathers together a selection of photographs taken by Ugo Mulas of the Cirque, an early work by the great American sculptor Alexander Calder. 

The Cirque Calder was created between 1926 and 1931 and consists of small sculptures, human figures, and animals made from wire, twine, rubber, cloth and other objects that Calder put together and staged in scenes to create improvised performances. The friendship between Calder and Mulas, which began in the early 60s, will lead to the creation of this set of photographs, taken in 1963 and 1964. The book also features text by Valerio Dehò. 

Cirque Calder accompanies the exhibition ‘Ugo Mulas. Circus Calder’, curated by Valerio Dehò and organized by Merano Arte in collaboration with the Archivio Ugo Mulas of Milan and the Biblioteca Civica of Merano, and with ‘ÓPLA’, the archive of artists’ books for children.