Reviving Alexander Calder’s Man-Eater with Pennants: A Technical Examination of the Original Paint Palette

Ana Martins,Megan Randall,Lynda Zycherman,Abed Haddad

doi:10.3390/heritage4030109

Abstract

Man-Eater with Pennants, a rarely exhibited sculpture in Alexander Calder’s oeuvre, was commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and installed in 1945. To exhibit the large standing mobile in Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start (2021), the derelict sculpture had to be remediated; this initiated a collaborative investigation with conservation scientists, conservators, curators, and the Calder Foundation into the original paint colors hidden beneath layers of repaint. XRF analysis was carried out to elucidate the paints’ composition, followed by sampling for analysis to assess the paint stratigraphy and binders. Scrapings were analyzed by µ-FTIR and Raman spectroscopies; cross sections were examined with optical microscopy and analyzed with SEM-EDS. Analysis differentiated between the original paints, which contain Prussian blue, parachlor red, chrome yellow, and the many layers of overpaint, which contain titanium white, molybdate orange, a variety of β-Naphthol reds, red lead, and ultramarine. A model for Man-Eater, Mobile with 14 Flags, is also part of the museum’s collection, and was first considered as a point of reference for the original colors. Similar analysis, however, indicates that the maquette was painted after the Man-Eater was first installed, therefore is not representative of the original colors. In addition to investigating an early primary palette for Calder’s outdoor sculptures, this study helped develop the plan for the restoration of the original color scheme of Man-Eater.

Highlights

While μ-FTIR gave some indication of the binder used in the paint formulation, the pigments in each layer of the cross section were conclusively identified by Raman spectroscopy in addition to scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coupled with electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)
As part of planning the restoration treatment for Man-Eater, cross sections and samples were taken for further analysis by Raman spectroscopy, SEM-EDS, and XRF to determine the pigments present and aid in the identification of the artist’s original color choices
The original paint layers were identified as the ones closest to an aluminum anti-corrosive layer or those penetrated by drastic rusting of the metal

Summary

Introduction

Alexander Calder (1898–1976), one of America’s best-known sculptors, is renowned for developing two new idioms in modern art: mobiles, which hang from the ceiling and whose shapes move in response to air currents, and stabiles, large scale, stationary abstract sculpture, characterized by simple forms executed in sheet metal. Born into a family of artists, Calder showed facility in handling metals from a young age [1]. He trained as an engineer at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and held several engineering jobs after graduation, at the age of 25, he committed himself as an artist, relocated to New York, and took art classes. During a visit to Mondrian’s studio in 1930, Calder saw, tacked to the wall, colored cardboard rectangles that Mondrian used to work out compositions [2]

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