At the entrance of Azabudai Hills Gallery, visitors are currently greeted by a giant black-and-white photo of the sculptor Alexander Calder in his New York studio, next to two of his most famous artworks: “White Panel” and “Devil Fish,” which was at the time under construction.
Calder stares directly at the lens, his gaze almost burrowing into the viewer from beyond. A Francophile American, he was born in 1898 to artist parents — his father a sculptor and his mother a portrait painter — and passed away in 1976 at the age of 78. Posthumous exhibits are, in a sense, always problematic since the chief celebrant is absent throughout the entire planning process.
But upon entering the 700-square-meter display area of the exhibition “Calder: Un effet du japonais” — where one is faced with Calder’s abstract dragon-like standing mobile “Fafnir” (1968) — it indeed seems as though the late, and inarguably most famous, sculptor of kinetic art has had some say in how this salute to himself has been shaped.
Japan played an important role throughout Calder’s life — a destination that he himself never physically visited but that presented itself from the very start. A seed planted by his parents’ collection of Japanese art and objects in the late 19th century, later clearly reflected in the unmistakable Japanese-inspired aesthetics integrated into many of Calder’s own artworks.
And now, with the first Calder solo exhibition in Tokyo in 35 years, it feels like the artist and his works have finally arrived. Beyond pieces evoking Japanese aesthetic principles — such as the red circle-containing titular "Un effet du japonais" (1941) — this is also due to the curation by Calder’s grandson, Alexander S. C. Rower, president of the Calder Foundation.
In an official gallery statement about the exhibition, Rower emphasizes that the guiding principles of this curation are deeply rooted in Calder’s lifelong admiration for Japanese arts and culture, underscoring a dedication to “the freedom of disparity, asymmetry and a kind of approximation.” Such fundamentals not only illuminate Calder’s own creative trajectory but also resonate profoundly with Japanese artistic tradition, a synergy palpable throughout the gallery space.
Rower has collaborated with Japanese architect and longtime Calder Foundation collaborator Stephanie Goto, whose exhibition design is its own highly evolved artistic achievement. She has structured it around the 3:4:5 triangle, an architectural principle with which Calder was very familiar and which is used to establish right angles and allow for the formation of square buildings.
The way Goto has integrated the 100 or so selected works of Calder, dating from the 1920s to the 1970s, with stunning bespoke experiential interiors and architectural framings — several permeated by Japanese design elements and substrates — is spectacular. One of the room-sized booths is covered in meticulously layered arcs of black washi paper, another with walls and display structures of Japanese cherry wood. This brings yet another tactile dimension to Calder’s sculptures, and enhances the exhibition’s titular “Japanese effect.”
The exhibition actually has two titles. In addition to the French one, the Japanese version is worded, “Calder: Sway, Feel, Japan” (“Karudā: Soyogu, Kanjiru, Nihon”). It captures, albeit somewhat unequivocally, the ambiance expressed by Goto’s work in confluence with Calder, and also touches on the way Rower has honored his grandfather through the harmoniously assembled curation, which is clearly aimed at both connoisseurs and those new to the artist. It focuses on Calder’s evolution as an abstract sculptor, as well as highlighting some of his works on paper and his paintings, but omits his jewelry, furniture and set designs. An elegantly choosy retrospective.
Calder’s exploration of kinetic art (a term describing any medium relying on movement for its effect) was revolutionary. His mobiles, free-hanging pieces that move in response to air currents; his stabiles, which evoke movement while remaining anchored; and his standing mobiles that blend these dynamics, have established Calder not just as an innovator but as a mediator of space and perception. This is very much visible at the Azabudai Hills Gallery exhibition.
Among the gently swaying mobiles, “Untitled” (1956) is particularly engaging with its stark contrasts and dynamic imbalance. In this work, Calder employs a vivid interplay of black and white, accented with red to draw attention to structural elements. Yellow and blue are added not to establish balance but to subtly underscore the overall compositional asymmetry. The piece reflects Calder's philosophy that art thrives in the tension between stability and flux — a principle deeply aligned with the Japanese attraction to the imperfection and transience of wabi sabi.
The exhibition unfolds as a narrative largely around this discourse, presented through Calder’s diverse body of work. From the imposing metal behemoth “Black Beast” (1940), standing 14 feet wide and 9 feet high, to the vibrant oil painting “Seven Black, Red and Blue” (1947) — first shown at the Nihonbashi Takashimaya Department Store in 1956 — exemplifying Calder’s adeptness in painting and capturing his dynamic range beyond sculptural forms. And, of course, "The Pagoda" (1963), with its palpable architectural references to Japanese structures, further bridges the connection via geometric abstraction.
The exhibition also presents a unique opportunity to view Calder’s engagement with found materials in ingenious ways. For instance, his use of pitchfork tines, glass and shells in his mobile “Tines” (1943), made from rubbish buried in the ground where he set up his studio on the site of an old farm. And a 1950 film displayed at the exhibition, with a soundtrack by John Cage, shows Calder at work, inspired by the seaside's natural rhythms.
Notably, the exhibition is organized in collaboration with Pace Gallery, marking a significant moment as the latter will open its first Japanese branch in Azabudai Hills in July, strategically coinciding with the Tokyo Gendai art fair in Yokohama. Pace Gallery’s partnership with the Calder Estate, which has spanned four decades, underscores a sustained commitment to fostering an appreciation of Calder’s work within the global art landscape.
In viewing such works, one is not merely observing static objects but interacting with pieces that respond to their environment and the viewer’s presence. This interaction, framed within Rower’s and Goto’s meticulously designed space, offers a contemplative experience that challenges the traditional boundaries of sculpture and viewer engagement. The space of Azabudai Hills Gallery — more akin to a museum in size — feels alive when you visit, although it’s a liveliness cradled in tranquility, with people spellbound by the gently balancing or spinning figures, next to massive standing mobiles with looming metal rods.
After having walked through the exhibition, the visitor is left with a striking perspective on Calder’s art, understanding how his legacy, though firmly rooted in American modernism, truly echoes Japan. Calder himself may never have traveled to Tokyo, but scions of his lineage did — decisively and emphatically. Both in the flesh (his grandson Rower) and in the form of his artistic creations, which are on display here and at 18 museums across Japan.
The realization that Calder never witnessed this Japanese embrace adds a layer of bittersweet grace to the Azabudai Hills Gallery's salute to the kinetic master sculptor and painter. But Japan lived deeply within Calder's art, suggesting an almost metaphysical connection between the man and a source of inspiration.
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