Alexander Calder Tin Can Christmas Tree

By greg on October 10, 2012 11:42 PM

Please tell me I haven't had this sitting on my computer desktop for six-plus months.

Though I can't tell whether he was actually in or just petitioned to be in the USMC's camouflage division during WWII, Alexander Calder's autobiography tells about how in 1942, he was asked by a nurse friend to make small objects and toys for convalescing soldiers in a Staten Island military hospital.

One of those objects: this awesome little, 5-inch Christmas tree made from a tin can.

It sold at Sotheby's last March for $31,250. [sothebys]

Since 2001 here at greg.org, I've been blogging about the creative process—my own and those of people who interest me. That mostly involves filmmaking, art, writing, research, and the making thereof.

Many thanks to the Creative Capital | Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Program for supporting greg.org that time.

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greg [at] greg [dot ] org

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