Calder's Monumental 'Painted Wood' Mobile Targets Record Valuation at Christie's November Sale

Christie's is set to present a landmark moment in the art market this November 2025, featuring Alexander Calder's significant 1943 kinetic mobile, 'Painted Wood.' The piece carries an auction estimate reaching as high as $20 million, a valuation that establishes the highest pre-sale expectation ever assigned to any work by the pioneering modern sculptor. This potential record underscores the profound and enduring recognition of Calder's revolutionary impact on artistic expression and movement.

The sheer scale of 'Painted Wood' contributes significantly to its market gravity; it stands as the largest of Calder's wooden Constellation mobiles to ever enter the auction arena. Measuring nearly seven feet in height and width, the work is composed of 11 suspended wooden elements that take on both abstract and fish-like forms. Its provenance is equally distinguished, originating from the celebrated collection of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, a collector known for her curatorial excellence. The work is making its auction debut, having remained in the same private collection for over three decades.

The historical resonance of this particular piece is undeniable. Its stature was cemented when it was prominently displayed during Calder's transformative 1943 solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. At the age of 45, Calder achieved the rare distinction of being the youngest artist afforded such a major solo presentation by the esteemed institution, marking a pivotal moment in the acceptance of abstract, moving sculpture. This sale is scheduled to be a leading highlight of Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale on November 17, 2025.

This upcoming sale arrives amidst a fertile period for Calder's legacy, benefiting from a renewed institutional spotlight, including the recent opening of the Calder Gardens in Philadelphia. While the current auction record for a Calder piece stands at $25.9 million, achieved in 2014 for a later mobile, the $15 million to $20 million estimate for 'Painted Wood' reflects a crest of sustained cultural momentum. Calder's influence continues to resonate, extending from mid-century modernism into contemporary fields like robotics, solidifying the intrinsic value of his dynamic, balanced creations.