Man, Three Disks
« Mobile en haut
Stabile en bas
Telle est la tour Eiffel
Calder est comme elle
Oiseleur du fer
Horloger du vent
Dresseur de fauves noirs
Ingénieur hilare
Architecte inquiétant
Sculpteur du temps. »
Swaying up high
Stable at the bottom
Such is the Eiffel Tower
And thus is Calder
Iron catcher
Black beast tamer
Smiling engineer
Troubling architect
Sculptor of time.
Jacques Prévert
Taken from texts in Derrière le Miroir, No. 156,
Maeght Éditeur, 1966
Municipal public art collection
Title
Man, Three Disks
Artist
Alexander Calder (1898-1976)
Materials
Stainless steel
Production
The work was produced in a workshop of the Société Biémont in Tours, France.
Dimensions
21.3 metres high
22 metres long
16.25 metres wide
Completed
1967
Installed
Inaugurated on May 17, 1967, during the 1967 World's Fair held in Montréal
Acquisition
The work was commissioned to the artist by the International Nickel Company of Canada (INCO) for the International Nickel Place during the 1967 World's Fair in Montréal
Location
Parc Jean-Drapeau, Île Sainte-Hélène
Borough of Ville-Marie
Note on the artist
Born in the United States in 1898, Alexander Calder is known as one of the foremost sculptors of the 20th century with approximately twenty stabiles located in many large cities around the world. The stabile in Montréal is the only one that is not painted, giving it a unique quality. Calder played an important role in completely renewing the language of sculpture. It should be noted that Man was commissioned to Alexander Calder for the Place International Nickel Company of Canada (INCO) at Montréal World's Fair. By its very name and monumental qualities, this work was soon recognized as one of the major symbols of the event. INCO donated the work to the citizens of Montréal at its 1967 inauguration.
Note on the work of art
Estimated at 50 million dollars, the market value of this work of art is the highest in Canada.
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