Spider

1937

“Mercury Fountain” in the Spanish pavilion

At the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne the Spanish pavilion includes Calder’s sculpture “Mercury Fountain”, made of sheet iron and mercury.

1938

His first retrospective, in Springfield

Calder’s first retrospective is held in 1938 at the George Walter Vincent Smith Gallery in Springfield, Massachusetts. Other accounts call the 1943 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art his first retrospective.

1939

Daughter born: Mary Calder Rower

1939–1945

The war years: “constellations” instead of aluminium

During the Second World War Calder tries to join the Marines as a camoufleur but is rejected. Adapting to a scarcity of aluminium, he returns to carved wood in a new open form of sculpture called “constellations”.

1940

His first jewellery exhibition at the Willard Gallery

In 1940 the first exhibition of Calder’s jewellery is held, with success, at the Willard Gallery. His pieces are worn by Peggy Guggenheim, Simone de Beauvoir and other celebrities.

1941

A show at Pierre Matisse’s: few buyers

At Calder’s 1941 show with Pierre Matisse, a copy of the gallery’s sales ledger shows, only a few pieces found buyers; Solomon R. Guggenheim paid just $233.34 for one work. In the late 1930s and early 1940s Calder’s works were not highly sought after and, when they sold, it was often for relatively little money.