Le profil qui disparait
Artist: Alexander Calder
Date: 1975
Dimensions: 55 x 73 in, 140 x 185 cm
Material: Handwoven wool tapestry
Manufacture: Atelier Pinton, Aubusson
Edition: Artist’s Proof (EX.A)
Signature: Atelier label on reverse
Condition: Perfect condition
Provenance: Private French collection
Le Profil qui Disparait (Moon and Star) is a tapestry by Alexander Calder, woven in 1975 at the Atelier Pinton in Aubusson. The composition reflects Calder’s ability to translate his visual language—developed through mobiles and gouaches—into a textile format without losing its sense of immediacy.
The structure is built on a clear dialogue between two dominant forms. On the left, a black crescent profile introduces a strong, anchored presence. Its simplified contour, reduced to essential line and shape, carries a quiet weight across the surface. Opposite it, a red star expands outward, outlined in yellow and blue, creating a counterpoint that feels lighter and more dynamic.]
Color is direct and controlled. The use of primary tones—red, yellow, blue, and black—maintains clarity while reinforcing the structural relationships between forms. Each element is distinct, yet connected through proportion and placement.
The composition reads as both stable and in motion. The crescent holds the left side firmly, while the star introduces a rotational energy, allowing the eye to move continuously across the surface.
Woven in wool, the tapestry softens the precision of Calder’s forms just enough to introduce subtle variation in texture, without compromising their clarity.
Le Profil qui Disparait stands as a concise and resolved example of Calder’s work in tapestry, where balance, simplicity, and movement are held in careful equilibrium.
