Alexander Calder
American, (1898–1976)
Alexander Calder was an American artist best known for his invention of the mobile and his wire sculptures. Born to artist parents on August 22, 1898 in Lawnton, PA, Calder turned to art in the 1920s, studying drawing and painting under George Luks and Boardman Robinson at the Art Students League in New York. Calder moved to Paris to continue his studies in 1926, where he was introduced to the European avant-garde through performances of his Cirque Calder (1926–1931). With these performances, along with his wire sculptures, Calder attracted the attention of such notable figures as Marcel Duchamp, Jean Arp, and Fernand Léger. Notably, it was his friend Duchamp that coined the term “mobile,” a pun in French meaning both “motion” and “motive,” during a visit to Calder’s Paris studio in 1931. His earliest mobiles moved by motors, but Calder soon abandoned these mechanics and designed pieces that moved by air currents or human interaction. Over the course of seven decades, along with his mobiles, he also produced paintings, stabiles, standing mobiles, monumental outdoor sculptures, works on paper, domestic objects, and jewelry.
American, (1898–1976)
Alexander Calder was an American artist best known for his invention of the mobile and his wire sculptures. Born to artist parents on August 22, 1898 in Lawnton, PA, Calder turned to art in the 1920s, studying drawing and painting under George Luks and Boardman Robinson at the Art Students League in New York. Calder moved to Paris to continue his studies in 1926, where he was introduced to the European avant-garde through performances of his Cirque Calder (1926–1931). With these performances, along with his wire sculptures, Calder attracted the attention of such notable figures as Marcel Duchamp, Jean Arp, and Fernand Léger. Notably, it was his friend Duchamp that coined the term “mobile,” a pun in French meaning both “motion” and “motive,” during a visit to Calder’s Paris studio in 1931. His earliest mobiles moved by motors, but Calder soon abandoned these mechanics and designed pieces that moved by air currents or human interaction. Over the course of seven decades, along with his mobiles, he also produced paintings, stabiles, standing mobiles, monumental outdoor sculptures, works on paper, domestic objects, and jewelry.
Artist Objects
