The Surreal Calder

Produced in conjunction with an exhibition organized by the Menil Collection, with additional venues at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts. This book presents Alexander Calder (1898–1976) in the context of Surrealism to better understand his achievements. Elements of Surrealism—such as biomorphism, abstraction, tactility, provocation, and mystery—were brought together to design the cover. The front and back show Calder’s Spider and Eucalyptus, respectively—stark, black, biomorphic shapes against an unadorned white ground. The embossed leatherette cover, without a jacket, is a tactile evocation of the hand-made special-edition artists’ book covers of the period.

Published by the Menil Collection and Yale University Press, 2006, hardbound, 156 pages, 30.5 × 25.4 cm. ISBN: 978-0-300-11436-2. Winner 2006 AIGA 50 Books / 50 Covers Award