Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder (1898–1976), celebrated as the inventor of the mobile, a kinetic sculpture designed to move with the surrounding air, ranks among one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Born to artist parents, he grew up in close contact with artistic processes, developing both manual skill and visual sensitivity. In his twenties, he moved to New York to study at the Art Students League of New York. Calder redefined sculpture by treating line as a drawing in space and by making movement a central element of form. Working with wire, sheet metal, and found materials, he balanced shapes so they could move with air currents, creating ever-changing compositions of color, weight, and rhythm. His relocation to Paris in 1926 marked a significant period, where he created his famous Cirque Calder (1926-31), that captivated the Parisian avant-garde. His first non-objective kinetic sculpture in 1931 and a landmark retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 1943, organized by James Johnson Sweeney and Marcel Duchamp, firmly positioned him as a pioneer in American contemporary art.

Today, Calder’s work is featured in numerous permanent collections worldwide, including The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery Art in Washington, D.C., the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Tate Modern, among many others.