Books by Jed Perl

Multum in Parvo highlights the complex relationship between scale and size in the oeuvre of Alexander Calder (1898-1976) over a period of more than 30 years. As its title--translating to "much in little"--implies, the volume features over 40 rare small-scale sculptures, ranging from the size of a thumb to 30 inches tall, all of which feature the same physical qualities as Calder's largest mobiles in the most miniature of detail. In addition to archival material, installation photography of the sculptures in the environment designed for them by architects Santiago and Gabriel Calatrava, and original architectural sketches, the book also includes commissioned essays by Jed Perl, art historian and author currently at work on the first full-length biography of Alexander Calder, and Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic, as well as poems by Karl Shapiro and John Updike.

Given unprecedented access to Calder's work and life during the course of their friendship, this title captures Calder's sculptures, the artist at work in his studio and at home with his family in Roxbury, Connecticut.

A provocative look at the contemporary art scene by one of the country's leading art critics.