Cirque Calder

{{Short description|Sculpture by Alexander Calder}}

{{Infobox artwork

| image_file = Calder-circus.jpg

| image_size = 300px

| title = Cirque Calder

| alt =

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| artist = Alexander Calder

| year = 1926–1931

| type = sculpture

| height_metric = 137.2

| width_metric = 239.4

| length_metric = 239.4

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| metric_unit = cm

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| city = New York, New York

| museum = Whitney Museum

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| owner = Whitney Museum

}}

Cirque Calder is an artistic rendering of a circus created by the American artist Alexander Calder. It involves wire models rigged to perform the various functions of the circus performers they represent, from contortionists to sword eaters to lion tamers. The models are composed of diverse materials, most notably wire and wood. During his time in Paris, Calder began improvising circus shows. During the performance, he would make comments in French.

The Cirque Calder is part of the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum in New York.{{Cite web |url=http://whitney.org/Collection/AlexanderCalder/8336195 |title=Alexander Calder: Calder's Circus | Whitney Museum of American Art |access-date=2013-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207232144/http://whitney.org/Collection/AlexanderCalder/8336195 |archive-date=2016-12-07 |url-status=dead }}