Alexander Calder

Bio

Alexander Calder, one of the most innovative sculptors of the 20th century, was born on July 22, 1898, in Lawton, Pennsylvania. Both his father and grandfather were gifted sculptors, and his mother was a professional portrait painter. Despite his family's artistic legacy, Calder did not immediately pursue a career in the arts. Instead, he received a degree in mechanical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, and subsequently worked a variety of jobs including automobile engineer, draftsman, bookkeeper, and salesman. Bored by all these jobs, in 1923 he enrolled in the Art Students League in New York, resolving to become a painter.

In 1924, Calder accepted a position as a freelance illustrator for the National Police Gazette. As part of his job, he spent two weeks sketching at Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey's circus. This experience ignited a lifelong interest in the circus, which would inspire several of his later works. Calder crafted his first wire sculpture in 1926. Also that year, he made his first voyage to Paris, where he was stimulated by the bohemian atmosphere and burgeoning friendships with other significant artist of the day, including Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso. For the remainder of his life, he divided his time between Paris and the United States. He met his future wife Louisa James, on a return trip to New York in 1929. They were married two years later.

In the 1930's, Calder began creating mobiles, sculpture with moveable parts that could be set in motion by mechanical propulsion or by air currents. Calder's mobiles caused a sensation in the art world, opening up new possibilities for sculpture not before imagined.

 

Calder also created stabiles, fixed constructions made of steel plates screwed or bolted together. In additions to his sculpture and paintings, Calder also created jewelry, some of it kinetic, using a variety of metals, including silver and gold.

 

Effervescent and gregarious, Calder was full of life and exhibited tremendous warmth. His art, similarly, is infused with elements of humor, optimism, and poetry. Today, his sculptures can be found in museums and public building throughout the world. Calder died on November 11, 1976.