Calder / KellyExhibitions
Calder / Kelly
Lévy Gorvy is pleased to present Calder / Kelly, the first major exhibition exploring the visual and personal affinities between landmark American artists Alexander Calder and Ellsworth Kelly. Presented in collaboration with the Calder Foundation and Ellsworth Kelly Studio, the exhibition is a discourse between generations that celebrates the artists’ friendship and their extraordinary experiences as Americans who were shaped by significant periods of time spent living in Paris.
Over the three floors of Lévy Gorvy’s building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a dynamic exchange between two virtuosic talents will take shape. Animated by the tension between figuration and abstraction, the works on view suggest intriguing intersections, including the striking repartee between two- and three-dimensionality (which, in Calder’s case, extends to four-dimensionality) that is a notable element of each artist’s oeuvre. Comprising approximately three dozen paintings and sculptures made over a fifty-year period, Calder’s mobile Red Maze III (1954) and his stabile Black Beast (1940), and Kelly’s paintings Red White (1962) and Three Gray Panels (1987) will be among the works on view.
The aesthetic dialogue between Calder and Kelly extends through an attendant display of art directly exchanged as gestures of friendship and mutual artistic rapport. Letters and other documents illuminate a relationship where creativity and high personal regard were beautifully intertwined.
On view through January 9, the exhibition will be followed by the publication of a fully illustrated catalogue, featuring texts by Calder biographer Jed Perl, curator Veronica Roberts, and philosopher Robert Hopkins, while Simon Perchik, Forrest Gander, and Dan Chiasson will contribute poems inspired by the artists.
Selected Works
Video
TILT Brass Performs at Lévy Gorvy
February 15, 2019
Publications
Selected Press
The New Yorker | “Calder / Kelly”
January 3, 2019
Are Alexander Calder and Ellsworth Kelly a match made in Heaven? You would think so. Visual elation does …
The Art Newspaper | Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend
December 20, 2018
After a visit to Calder / Kelly (until 9 January 2019) at Lévy Gorvy, you might be surprised that there …
NYC-Arts | Calder / Kelly
December 10, 2018
Running until January 9, 2019, Lévy Gorvy will present Calder / Kelly, the first major exhibition to …
The Paris Review | Staff Picks: Whisky Priests, World’s End, and Brilliant Friends
December 7, 2018
The midcentury American masters Alexander Calder and Ellsworth Kelly, who in life were close friends, …
Improvised Life | How To Print Poems On Your Wall Like The Odes To Calder And Kelly At Lévy Gorvy Gallery
November 27, 2018
At Calder / Kelly, the superb exhibition at Lévy Gorvy of works by Alexander Calder and Ellsworth Kelly …
Wallpaper | Dear Calder, dear Kelly: the friendship of two great artists a generation apart
November 23, 2018
They were separated by 25 years: a generation apart, Alexander Calder and Ellsworth Kelly sparked a rich …
Blouin Artinfo | Calder / Kelly at Lévy Gorvy New York
November 22, 2018
Works by American artists Alexander Calder and Ellsworth Kelly are on view at Lévy Gorvy, New York, …
Blouin Artinfo | Top Art Shows in New York This Week: Stuart Davis to Sarah Lucas
November 10, 2018
It's a busy week in the arts in New York November 9–15, with major shows and some smaller gems glittering …
Galleries Now | Calder / Kelly
November 9, 2018
Lévy Gorvy presents Calder / Kelly, the first major exhibition exploring the visual and personal affinities …
The New York Times T Magazine | A Rare Look at the Letters Between Two Art World Giants
November 9, 2018
How is art shaped by friendship? The exhibition “Calder / Kelly,” which is now open at the Lévy …
Ansa | Calder e Kelly, arte e amicizia a NY
November 8, 2018
"Dear Kelly", "Dear Calder". Nella storia dell'arte del Novecento, nessun "bromance" e' stato artisticamente …
Artnet | Art Industry News: Houston Museum Discovers It Has a Velázquez Painting Hiding in Plain Sight + Other Stories
November 8, 2018
Inside Ellsworth Kelly and Alexander Calder’s Friendship – despite being decades apart in age, the …
Vulture | Did You Know Ellsworth Kelly and Alexander Calder Were Pals? They Even Exchanged Art Gifts.
November 7, 2018
Ellsworth Kelly was studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris just after World War II when he met....
Robb Report | The Kelly-Calder Connection – Abstract Allies
November 7, 2018
No Bromance has been more artistically fruitful than that of Alexander Calder and Ellsworth Kelly. For …
Galerie Magazine | Editors’ Picks: 4 Great Art and Design Events This Week
November 1, 2018
This is the first major exhibition to explore the friendship and shared aesthetic of Alexander Calder …
GothamToGo | 63 Art Installations, Exhibits & Events Not to Miss in November, 2018
October 31, 2018
Lévy Gorvy is pleased to present Calder / Kelly, the first major exhibition exploring the visual and …
Luxurious Prototype | Calder / Kelly Exhibit to Open at Lévy Gorvy's Gallery
October 31, 2018
Beginning November 9, 2018, Lévy Gorvy will present Calder / Kelly, the first major exhibition to explore …
More Information
- Press Release (PDF)
- Checklist (PDF)
- Artists in this Exhibition:
- Alexander Calder
- Ellsworth Kelly