Alexander Calder

This 1925 self portrait of Alexander Calder hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

"After working as an engineer in various capaci­ties and places, Alexander Calder began painting New York City street scenes and portraits. These reflect the realist approach of his teachers at the Art Students League, notably John Sloan. In this work Calder pictures himself as a handsome young man still sporting the mustache he said he 'raised ... to look more like a seasoned engineer.' Calder created this self-portrait at the moment when his career was beginning to take off with the wire sculptures he made. In it we see a contemplative view of a young man in the process of establishing his reputation as a professional artist." -- National Portrait Gallery

This 1947 caricature of Calder by Saul Steinberg appeared in the catalog of an exhibition in the Burcholtz Gallery, illustrating an essay on Calder Mobiles by Jean-Paul Sartre.