Cercle jaune
Dimensions: 64 x 76 in, 163 x 192 cm
Material: Handwoven wool artistic rug
Date: 1953
Edition: Unknown small edition
Markings: Artist’s signature woven on reverse
Manufacture: Marie Cuttoli, Paris
Condition: Perfect
Provenance: Private American Collection
Designed by Alexander Calder in 1953, Cercle jaune rug translates the artist’s unmistakable language of movement and balance into textile form. A vibrant yellow circle anchors the composition while spirals, lines, and geometric forms drift across the surface in a rhythm that feels both playful and perfectly controlled. The arrangement recalls the visual logic of Calder’s mobiles, where each element exists in quiet equilibrium with the others.
The rug was produced in Paris under the direction of Marie Cuttoli, the pioneering patron who helped revive the French tapestry tradition by inviting leading modern artists to experiment with textile. Through her collaborations with figures such as Picasso, Léger, and Calder, tapestry and woven works became an important extension of modern art.
In the Cercle jaune rug, Calder’s bold graphic language adapts beautifully to wool. The forms retain the clarity of his drawings while gaining a warmth and material presence that allows the work to live naturally within an interior.
More than a decorative object, Cercle jaune reads like a woven gouache — a rare moment when mid-century modernism moved seamlessly from the wall into the architecture of everyday life.
