You’ve surely met Nancy many times on your way across the S’Hort del Rei. Alexander Calder donated the kinetic sculpture to the city of Palma almost fifty years ago. I have always loved his playful objects and the weightlessness of his fancy mobiles. So I was thrilled when a friend invited me to visit Calder’s exhibition „Minimal / Maximal“ at the recently reopened Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

The museum building designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is a piece of art itself. A prominent representative of modernist architecture, now carefully renovated. On this winter day and with the gentle snowfall it seemed to me like a spaceship landed in the heart of Berlin. While Calder’s familiar Têtes et Queue greet you outside, there’s a firework of art waiting for you inside. From colorful Crinkly in the entrance hall to the famous Five Swords to numerous tiny pieces on display in glass showcases.

Calder had long been internationally acclaimed, yet it took vision and courage for Galeria Pelaires to display his works on Mallorca in 1972. Towards the end of the Franco era the island was only just beginning to open up to contemporary art. It was Joan Miró who at that time introduced his close friend Alexander Calder to Pelaires. Marveling at Calder’s sculptures in Berlin I was once more struck by the similarity of colors and shapes used by both the American and the Spanish artist.

The exhibition Alexander Calder „Minimal / Maximal“ at Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin runs through 13 February 2022.