Calder: Chess Knightmares
Published on 30. October 2025
Book
Hardback
216 pages
978-2-85117-318-8 (ISBN)
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 Pearl, 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.
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 Pearl, 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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Paris
France
Illustrations
Cover features die-cut chess pieces; 30 Illustrations, black and white; 145 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 306 mm
Width: 286 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
1826 gr
ISBN-13
978-2-85117-318-8 (9782851173188)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
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.
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.