Alexander Calder

b. 1898 and died 1976

Alexander Calder is one of the greatest innovators in the history of art. Not only did he invent the mobile was he was a prolific painter, lithograph maker, and producer of toys and other collectibles. Calder began his sculpting career with his creation of the “Cirque Calder” which was a kinetic wire sculpture replicating certain circus acts. While in Paris he would conduct full performances on these sculptures.

After some success with the wire sculptures, Calder continued to experiment with sculpture capable of moving both from manipulation by humans and by simple gusts of wind. The air currents in the room forcing sculpture movement gave Calder the idea of creating mobiles. In 1931 Calder began creating self-supporting, abstract sculptures that moved. In the 1950s Calder turned his attention to larger monumental sculptures; many examples of his work during this time are in public collections. As his prominence as a monumental sculptor grew so did his commissions.