Calder, Alexander.
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Alexander Calder is the author of the renowned mobile, known as the iconic representation of 20th century sculpture. [+]
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Calder, Alexander
Alexander Calder is the author of the renowned mobile, known as the iconic representation of 20th century sculpture. He was born in the state of Philadelphia, United States in 1898. Throughout his childhood and adolescence, he never expressed an interest in art, rather his focus was on pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. It wasn’t until he moved to New York in 1923, that he decided to apply to the Art Students League. Five years later, he celebrated his first individual exhibition at Wehya Gallery, where he showed drawings and paintings of animals. One year later, in 1926, he relocated to the vibrant hub of artistic activity during the era, Paris.
In the french capital, he began working with wire sculptures, illustrating circus scenes, which he called Cirque Calder. However, in 1931 following a visit Piet Mondrian’s studio, he started to explore the material possibilities of abstraction within his wire sculptures. In 1932, Calder presented his first mobile, name given by Marcel Duchamp, while he joined the Abstraction-Création movement, alongside Mondrian, Jean Helion, Jean Arp and Antoine Pevsner.
During his stay in Paris, he participated in diverse exhibitions, notably the International Exhibition of 1937, in which he shared the space with many significant artists of the time. Thanks to his intimate friendship with Joan Miró, Calder often travelled to Barcelona and Mallorca, where he had the opportunity to present his work to the Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians.
After spending 14 years in Paris, he returned to New York in 1940, where he remained until his passing in 1976. Upon his return, his established acclaim triggered a rapid rise in exhibitions dedicated to his work, the most important one being held at the MOMA in 1943. Later, in 1952, he was awarded the International Prize in Sculpture at the Venice Biennale, while New York and Chicago installed his works at the Lincoln Centre and the Federal Plaza.
The artist’s mobiles were revolutionary at the time because they presented sculpture, traditionally seen as static and heavy, as light, mobile, and versatile. They took on varied perspectives, influenced by the interplay of light and air in specific locations, and adorned with colorful abstract forms. For the artist, his mobiles were a way to give l ife and movement to Mondrian’s art. However, Calder also illustrated these abstract figures in the form of painting and drawing. These can be interpreted as sculptural studies, yet they also invite us to reflect on how the material can alter our perception and comprehension of them.
Nowadays, Calder’s works break auction records, while they participate in the most significant international exhibitions and exclusive collections in the world.