En 1955, Calder active son célèbre « Cirque » face à la caméra de Jean Painlevé
A 1955 film by Jean Painlevé captures Alexander Calder performing his famous "Cirque" (Circus), a handmade miniature circus he created between 1926 and 1931 in Paris. The film shows Calder manipulating fragile wire-and-wood figures—weightlifters, trapeze artists, clowns, and dancers—while a gramophone plays. The work, now preserved at the Whitney Museum of New York, is on loan for a major Calder retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (April 15–August 16, 2026). Painlevé's film is also the subject of a concurrent exhibition at the Musée de Pont-Aven (February 7–May 31, 2026).
The article highlights how Calder's "Cirque" was a breakthrough piece that established his reputation in the Parisian avant-garde and prefigured performance art. Its inclusion in the Fondation Louis Vuitton retrospective underscores the enduring influence of this playful, inventive work. The simultaneous focus on Painlevé's film—a pioneer of scientific cinema—adds a layer of historical and cinematic context, linking Calder's sculptural practice to early film documentation and the broader art of spectacle.