Alexander Calder

Artist biography:

Born: 1898, Pennsylvania; Died 1976, New York

Alexander Calder received a degree in mechanical engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology (New Jersey) prior to studying at the Art Students League in New York. In 1926 Calder held his first solo exhibition of paintings. Shortly thereafter, he began working on a miniature circus comprised of wood and wire figures until its completion in 1931. That same year, Calder started to construct 'mobiles' - abstract sculpture with moving parts. Calder's creative enterprises were cross-disciplinary and exceeded the traditional definitions of painting and sculpture; throughout the course of his career Calder developed sets for a variety of theatrical, musical, and dance performances, collaborated on films, illustrated books, produced wallpaper, fabrics, and costumes, created designs for racing cars and airplanes, and embraced humanitarian causes.

Calder's works are featured in permanent installations around the world. In 1955 he travelled to India to execute 11 mobiles for public buildings in Ahmadabad. He designed monumental pieces for Lincoln Center in New York City, for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, for the gardens of UNESCO in Paris and for Expo '67 at Montreal.

In 1964, when the artist was in his late seventies, he was honored with a comprehensive retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City; a smaller one was given at the Museum of Modern Art in 1970. 110