Accession Number
1948/1.260

Title
Lion and Two Acrobats

Artist(s)
Alexander Calder

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
circa 1931-1932

Medium & Support
crayon on paper

Dimensions
19 1/16 in x 24 1/2 in (48.5 cm x 62.2 cm);26 1/16 in x 32 1/16 in (66.2 cm x 81.5 cm);19 1/16 in x 24 1/2 in (48.5 cm x 62.2 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Subject matter
In 1926, Calder moved to Paris where he created one of his first well-known sculptural works and performances known as Calder's Circus (1926-1931). The work is comprised of sculptures of bent hardware wire and found objects that depicted circus animals, performers and other such scenes. During this time, he also created many sketches and drawings such as this one likely as representations of scenes he was creating.

Physical Description
This work is a crayon drawing of a circus scene. On the left is a woman drawn in lavender. She wears a tutu and raises both arms above her head. In the center, a lion drawn in yellow, sits on a blue and red stand. To the right is the figure of a man, drawn in red, standing with his legs spread apart and his right arm raised over his head. All figures are simple outline drawings.

Primary Object Classification
Drawing

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
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Keywords
Panthera leo (species)
acrobats
circuses (performances)
lions
modern and contemporary art
performing artists
sketches