“With Tree, Calder carries comedy into the realm of pure abstract art,” writes Jed Perl. “There’s a Laurel-and-Hardy, big-guy-little-guy craziness about the juxtaposition of the imposing, five-legged black stabile and the teensy, multicolored mobile that it supports. Calder brings off this confrontation of radically different powers and energies with cool, pokerfaced wit. When Tree is set in motion, we experience that confrontation not only visually but also kinetically. The sturdy muscular power of the sheet metal ‘tree’ sets off the bobbling, meandering rhythms of the nine little elements made of wood, glass, mirror, and plastic. Implacable stillness and jittery mobility meet and nearly—but never entirely—make their peace.” Video: Tree (1941) set in motion. © 2022 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York #Calder #AlexanderCalder #CalderFoundation