PRE-ORDER: Calder Chess Set

The Calder Chess Set — A Masterpiece of Art and Play

Cahiers d’Art is honored to present the long-awaited Calder Chess Set. This edition, published by Cahiers d’Art in collaboration with the Calder Foundation, faithfully recreates Calder’s most sculptural and iconic chess set — a true collector’s piece for art and design enthusiasts.

A limited edition of 2000.

In 1944, visionary artist Alexander Calder created an original chess set for The Imagery of Chess, a groundbreaking exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York. Of the three sets he designed in the 1940s, this was the one Calder kept for play in his Roxbury, Connecticut home.

Challenging tradition, Calder redefined the visual language of chess: the queen stands taller than the king, reflecting his belief in matriarchal balance and the guiding strength of women. The oversized knight disrupts the board, commanding attention and symbolizing his invitation to view both art and life with fresh eyes. Instead of black and white, Calder chose vibrant red and blue, rejecting notions of binary opposition or built-in superiority. 

A close friend of Marcel Duchamp, Calder once gifted an earlier version of his chess set to the famed artist and chess enthusiast—who declared, “While all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists.”

Each piece in this Calder Chess Set has been faithfully recreated from detailed 3D scans of the original and precisely milled from solid wood, preserving the texture, scale, and spirit of Calder’s handmade work. A facsimile of a rarefied art object, it embodies the dynamic ingenuity that defines Calder’s legacy.

Details
– Collaboration: Cahiers d’Art & Calder Foundation
– Material: Solid wood, milled to match original dimensions
– Origin: Based on Calder’s 1944 sculptural chess set
– Function: Playable art object / collector’s edition

Own a timeless piece of modern art history with the Calder Chess Set by Cahiers d’Art—where sculpture, design, and imagination converge on the chessboard.

© 2025 Calder Foundation, New York. All Rights Reserved.
Calder® is a Registered Trademark of Calder Foundation, New York.