Many of Calder’s contemporaries recognized and celebrated the theatrical qualities of his
works of art. Over the course of his career, Calder created sets for thirteen theatrical productions
of various genres. In each case, movement served as a key component in Calder’s sets, and it
differentiates Calder from the other artists designing for the theater at the time. With his
contributions to the stage, Calder followed the paths of several well-known and innovative avantgarde
artists, such as Picasso and Matisse who designed for the Ballets Russes and Fernand Léger
who worked with the Ballet Suedois. However, Calder saw his set designs not merely as
background to the human figures on stage but as performers in their own right. His moving pieces
rivaled and at times took the place of the human actors and dancers.
Calder’s first collaboration was with the consummate modern dancer