Alexander Calder, Théâtre de Nice (ancien titre : Stabile-mobile), 1970, collection MAMAC, Nice ; Parvis nord du Musée Matisse Nice, Villa des Arènes, photo Musée Matisse Nice – L.S. © 2026 Calder Foundation, New York / Adagp, Paris
Mamac on the roads
Alexander Calder
Domaine national de Chambord, Chambord
October 15, 2026 – August 29, 2027
“Two monumental stabiles-mobiles by American sculptor Alexander Calder will face each other in the French gardens of the Château de Chambord.
As part of the AR(t]CHIPEL festival, an event born of a partnership between the Centre Pompidou and the Centre-Val de Loire region, some fifteen heritage and cultural sites across the region are celebrating the centennial of the artist’s arrival in France, in the Loire Valley, and the fiftieth anniversary of his passing.
The Domaine national de Chambord presents two monumental “stabiles-mobiles” designed by Alexander Calder in his studio in Saché (37): Théatre de Nice, 1970, from the collections of the MAMAC in Nice, on display on the forecourt of the Matisse Museum in Nice since 2022, and Horizontal, 1974, from the collections of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, previously on display on the forecourt of the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen. …/…
Presented in mirror image in the French gardens of the Château de Chambord, on either side of the central path, the two works enliven the embroidered flowerbeds. From the gardens, the two brightly colored giants stand out vividly against the façade of François I’s château.
A monumental face-off between the French Renaissance and modern art.”
Discover a work from the MAMAC Collection
Alexander Calder, Théatre de Nice, 1970
This monumental abstract steel sculpture comprises two distinct parts: the stabile (fixed structure) and the mobile (moving element). The stabile consists of three black elements. Delicately balanced on the tip of the structure, the mobile is made up of a large steel rod from which blue, yellow and red discs are suspended.
A centrepiece of the MAMAC collection and a familiar landmark of Nice’s cultural and urban landscape, Théâtre de Nice has stood in front of the museum since its inauguration in 1990. Since 2022, the sculpture has been hosted on the north forecourt of the Musée Matisse Nice, while the MAMAC is closed for a major rehabilitation project.
Théâtre de Nice will depart early july 2026 and return to the forecourt of the Matisse Museum in autumn 2027, following the loan.
On the occasion of this exceptionnal loan, the mobile element of the sculpture is restored with support from the Centre Pompidou and the Domaine national de Chambord.