Calder's Circus (1961) A Film By Carlos Vilardebo

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Close up of a miniature circus including a horse and ring.

Alexander Calder, Prima Donna and Woman with Bow on Horse from Calder’s Circus, 1926-1931, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins 
© 2017 Calder Foundation, NewYork / Artists Rights Society (ARS), N.Y.

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Carlos Vilardebo
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Calder’s Circus is a historical film, by Carlos Vilardebo, of Alexander Calder’s miniature circus — tiny wire performers, ingeniously articulated to walk tightropes, dance, lift weights, and engage in acrobatics in the ring. Resulted from his fascination with the circus in his mid-twenties when he did illustrations for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, this film exudes the great personal charm of Calder himself, moving and working the tiny players like a ringmaster.