Trying to identify an Alexander Calder artwork? Start with the physical object and its ownership history. Photographs, dimensions, materials, inscriptions and documents can help establish what you own and what further research is needed. A signature alone does not establish authenticity.
1. Identify the Type of Calder Artwork
Choose the category closest to your work. Each requires different identifying details, whether you own a kinetic sculpture, a painted sheet, a drawing or an editioned print.
2. Record the Physical Details
- For mobiles and sculpture, record overall dimensions, materials, colors, configuration, base, connections and suspended elements.
- For gouaches and drawings, record the sheet dimensions, medium, subject, signature, date and inscriptions.
- For prints, record image and sheet dimensions, numbering, proof inscriptions, printer or publisher information, watermarks and blind stamps where visible.
A maquette, intermediate model and full-size sculpture may share a design but are different objects. Match the actual work’s scale, materials and construction to any published reference.
3. Examine Signatures and Distinguish Reproductions
Photograph signatures and monograms in context and close-up. A hand signature differs from a signature printed within an image, but neither a signature nor edition numbering should be used alone to establish authorship.
Original drawings, lithographs, authorized reproductions and decorative copies should be identified separately. Some published reproductions of Calder’s circus drawings have been detached from portfolios; they are not the original drawings. An image match online is only a starting point.
4. Trace Ownership and Published History
Gather gallery invoices, auction records, estate papers, correspondence, earlier photographs and exhibition labels. Record how and when the artwork entered your family or collection, separating documented facts from recollections.
Check exhibition catalogues and publications for matching dimensions, medium, composition and ownership details. Keep copies of relevant pages and any labels or frame-back information. Similar titles or imagery do not necessarily identify the same physical work.
5. Review Calder Foundation Information
Include any existing Foundation correspondence, application or registration information. The Foundation accepts registration applications at its discretion; an application does not guarantee registration or create an authentication agreement.
Owners seeking information may apply for a physical examination through the Foundation’s procedure. The Foundation does not issue certificates of authenticity or provide appraisals. An application number alone should not be treated as a certificate or a market valuation.
Document Condition Without Altering the Work
Photograph damage, repairs, repainting, replacement elements, fading, stains or trimming. Include conservation reports if available. Avoid cleaning, repainting, dismantling sculpture or removing paper from its mount yourself. Photograph only areas you can safely access.
What Happens After Identification?
Once the work is better understood, relevant market comparisons can be reviewed. See our Calder value guide and selling process, or return to the main Calder selling guide.
Send Your Calder for a Preliminary Review
Submit photographs, dimensions, current location and the records you have. We can discuss the appropriate next research steps and consider works for potential direct purchase. Further documentation or inspection may be needed. You can also use our Calder contact page.