Calder’s Circus is Back at the Whitney with a Special Bode Capsule Collection
High Wire marks a century of the sculptor’s miniature performers, tracing early experiments in motion
This past weekend, the Whitney Museum of American Art opened High Wire: Calder’s Circus at 100, a lively centennial tribute to one of the museum’s most beloved works. Marking the first major presentation of Calder’s Circus (1926-31) since the museum’s move downtown, the exhibition revisits the years when a young Alexander Calder (1898-1976) transformed found materials and wit into a new kind of performance art, one that would reshape modern sculpture.
Created in Paris from wire, cork, fabric, and found objects, Calder’s Circus comprises over 100 miniature carnivalesque figures that Calder once animated in live, two-hour spectacles for friends like Marcel Duchamp and Joan Miró. Curated by Jennie Goldstein and Roxanne Smith, the exhibition places the Circus alongside Calder’s sketches, abstractions, and rarely seen film footage, including a 1961 film of the artist performing the piece in his studio. Together, these materials trace the artist’s spontaneous spirit and humor as well as the origins of his fascination with motion and balance, qualities that later crystallize in his iconic mobiles as his work evolved into a lifelong study of movement and form.
The Whitney’s connection to Calder is deep and personal. After a public campaign secured Calder’s Circus in 1983, the museum became one of the artist’s chief institutional supporters, continuing to champion his legacy as one of the twentieth century’s great innovators.
In the same celebratory spirit, the Whitney partnered with Bode and the Calder Foundation on a limited-edition capsule collection debuting October 22, bringing the artist’s whimsicality into the realm of contemporary fashion. Imagined through Emily Adams Bode Aujla’s distinctive lens of historic storytelling and craftsmanship, the eight-piece line draws directly from Calder Circus characters, costumes, and ephemera. From hand-embroidered brooches inspired by the Lion Tamer and Belly Dancer acts to a wooden “Calder Suitcase Box” modeled after the artist’s original traveling trunks, each piece reflects Calder’s inventive materiality.
“Calder’s Cirque captures a sense of wonder, movement, and craftsmanship, telling a story through each piece—much like the way I create collections,” said Bode Aujla. Calder’s grandson and Calder Foundation president Alexander S. C. Rower called the collaboration “a beautiful reflection of my grandfather’s early performance art, which transcended simple spectacle.”
As the exhibition and collection unfold in tandem, they celebrate Calder’s enduring ingenuity and how this continues to spark imagination across art, design, and fashion, even a century later.
Shop the Limited-Edition Collection
High Wire: Calder’s Circus at 100 is on view until March 2026 at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. The Calder x Bode x Whitney capsule collection is available beginning October 22 at Whitney Shop, Bode.com, and Bode stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris.