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Calder: Chess Knightmares
Brief Description
A sumptuous compendium of Alexander Calder's chess works, with ephemera and archival materials This handsome volume celebrates Alexander Calder's fascination with the game of chess. It comprises two parts: the first presents The Knightmares Portfolio, an approximation of an unrealized publication conceived in 1944 but never...
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Calder: Chess Knightmares
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Description
A sumptuous compendium of Alexander Calder's chess works, with ephemera and archival materials
This handsome volume celebrates Alexander Calder's fascination with the game of chess. It comprises two parts: the first presents The Knightmares Portfolio, an approximation of an unrealized publication conceived in 1944 but never published. It comprises 46 chess drawings by Calder inscribed with titles, alternate titles, and puns by Duchamp, Mary Reynolds, and Calder.
The second part of the book features scholarly and experimental texts from Alexander S. C. Rower and Jed Perl, exploring such topics as Calder's relationship with Marcel Duchamp (who was famously obsessed with chess) and his involvement in the 1944 exhibition The Imagery of Chess at Julien Levy Gallery. Archival documentation, ephemera, and reproductions of Calder's chess sets—including photographs of each chess piece and related works on paper—are also featured.
A detailed chronology by Susan Brauer Dam completes this rich corpus.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9782851173188
Publisher: Cahiers d'art
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 30 October 2025
Country: France
Imprint: Cahiers d'art
Illustration: Cover features die-cut chess pieces; 30 Illustrations, black and white; 145 Illustrations, color
Contributors:
- Edited by Alexander S. C. Rower
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 284.0mm
Height: 304.0mm
Weight: 1800g
Pages: 216
Collections
About the Author
Alexander S. C. Rower is the grandson of the artist, founder and president of the Calder Foundation. Since 1987, Rower has documented more than 22,000 works by Calder and established an extensive archive dedicated to all aspects of the artist's career. He has curated and collaborated on over 100 Calder exhibitions worldwide.
Jed Perl was the art critic for The New Republic for twenty years and a contributing editor to Vogue for a decade. He is currently a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books. Among his many books are Calder: The Conquest of Time, Magicians and Charlatans, Antoine's Alphabet, New Art City, and Paris Without End. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and teaches at the New School in New York.
Susan Braeuer Dam is Director of Research and Publications for the Calder Foundation.
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