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Nancy

Nancy is a kinetic sculpture, or mobile, by American sculptor Alexander Calder, created in 1971. It is made of cast iron and is described as a stable-mobile. The work is located in Palma on the island of Mallorca, Spain, near the Royal Palace of La Almudaina. It was shown in Calder’s exhibition at Sala Pelaires in Palma in 1972. After a complicated donation process linked to customs and tax issues, Palma’s city council accepted it as a gift in 1974. Calder had wanted the mobile placed in the Maritime Park, but it was installed in the Royal Garden instead; after restoration following vandalism, it returned to its original site in 1994.

Nancy, a large abstract metal sculpture with red, black, and silver geometric forms on a stone pedestal in an outdoor courtyard.
Nancy by Alexander Calder, shown as a geometric metal sculpture in an outdoor courtyard.
March 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Alexander Calder’s Nancy sculpture with a dark red and black geometric base and weathered metal arms in a park setting.
Alexander Calder’s Nancy stands on a stone platform in a landscaped park.
March 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nancy by Alexander Calder, a red and black metal sculpture with four suspended grey plates in a paved public square.
Nancy, Alexander Calder’s 1972 sculpture, stands in a palm-lined square in Palma de Mallorca.
March 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nancy abstract metal sculpture with red and black base beside a stone wall and hedges
Nancy, an abstract metal sculpture, stands on a stone pedestal in front of a stone wall and trimmed hedges.
May 2019 © · CC0
Nancy abstract sculpture with a red and black base in front of a stone fortress wall and trimmed hedges.
Nancy stands before a weathered stone wall, with hedges and a tower in the background.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleNancy
Typekinetic sculpture (stable-mobile)
Original title«Нэнси»

Creator

ArtistAlexander Calder
Artist nationalityAmerican
Artist lifespan1898–1976

Historical context

Associated artist nationalitySpanish
Associated artist lifespan1893–1983
Relationship to Joan MiróCalder and Miró were long-time friends; they met and became friends in Paris in 1928 while both lived and worked there
Associated artistJoan Miró
Exhibition historyIncluded in Calder's exhibition at the Sala Pelaires gallery in Palma in September–October 1972
Year created1971

Discovery and provenance

Gift historyOffered as a gift to Palma City Council in 1973, after Miró persuaded Calder to donate it
Customs and tax statusThe council initially refused the gift because of high customs duties and excise tax; the work was later classified in Madrid as an object of national heritage, exempting it from taxes
Acceptance date14 February 1974
Original intended locationThe new Marine Park, between the cathedral and the sea, so that sea wind could move the sculpture

Location and ownership

Current locationPalma, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
Installed atNear the Royal Palace of La Almudaina in the Royal Garden
Installation historyInstalled in the Royal Garden from 1974 to 1985
ReinstallationReturned to its original place in 1994 after restoration following vandalism

Physical characteristics

MaterialCast iron
Movement / functionDesigned to be moved by the wind