The Calder in the Corporate Closet

A little story here about the (late) consumer electronics retail chain, Circuit City. When it finally bit the dust, some 30K employees lost their jobs as 567 stores were closed and court-appointed liquidation firms were charged with disposing of various asset groups. One of these firms, Liquid Asset Partners, LLC, handled Circuit City's regional distribution centers and corporate offices.

A closet in the Richmond, Virginia office yielded some works of art and, lo and behold! Tucked amongst other framed pieces was a signed, numbered Alexander Calder lithograph. The casual eye might have moved on quickly past Wave (pictured above), but it's worth noting that (1) the red swirl is "Calder" red, a distinctive shade that (2) every person in the greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area--home of Liquid Asset Partners, LLC--knows by heart on account of "The Calder" that's been installed downtown since 1969.

So, jackpot! All right ... a modest jackpot. Maybe a $10,000 (US) jackpot on a good day. Here's the thing, though: it's up at auction on eBay until June 11 at 12 p.m. EDT. It's also looking like a bargain at this time, though the undisclosed reserve has not yet been met. Also: it's the genuine item, not one of those bad eBay art "deals" about which I've warned you. Happy bidding, as they say.

Image Credit:

Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976)
Wave, 1970
Lithograph
44 1/2 x 33 3/4 in. (113 x 85.7 cm)
© Estate of Alexander Calder / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Press image courtesy Liquid Asset Partners, LLC