Alexander Calder Art

The American sculptor Alexander Calder is known as the father of the mobile, a moving artwork composed of delicately balanced sculptural forms suspended from the ceiling. Because his parents, both artists themselves, did not want him to suffer the hardships of trying to make a living in art, they encouraged the young Calder to study mechanical engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, New Jersey. He worked a number of jobs, including as a hydraulic engineer and draftsman for the New York Edison Company, before deciding to pursue an artistic career. He never abandoned his engineering background, however, applying his understanding of gears and moving parts in all his artworks, from mechanical toys like the Cirque Calder (1931) to his free-standing abstract sculptures, called stabiles.
In 1926, Calder moved to Paris and established a studio in the Montparnasse quarter. He began creating the many parts of his famous miniature circus from found materials, such as wire, string, cloth, rubber and cork. Designed to be transportable, Cirque grew to fill five suitcases over the years. Always interested in putting forms in motion, Calder also pioneered a new art form called wire sculptures, which he described as “drawings in space.” Like his famous mobiles, the wire sculptures were suspended so that they turned with any movement of the air, presenting different forms when viewed from different angles.
In the 1950s, Calder returned to his roots in mechanical engineering, creating monumental abstract sculptures that verged on the architectural. He worked from loose gestural drawings like this preparatory sketch for his Man Stabile, from 1966. Throughout his career, he also worked as a set designer for the theater, as well as an illustrator and printmaker, producing vibrant, whimsical drawings for books and journals, such as this stunning lithograph of an elephant and two cats.
1970s Post-War Alexander Calder Art
Metal, Wire
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Gouache
1950s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Alexander Calder Art
Ink, Gouache
1960s Kinetic Alexander Calder Art
Gouache
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract Alexander Calder Art
Aquatint
1960s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Post-War Alexander Calder Art
Metal, Wire
Late 20th Century Post-War Alexander Calder Art
Steel
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Contemporary Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Contemporary Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Abstract Expressionist Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Expressionist Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s American Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s American Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s American Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Abstract Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Pop Art Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Pop Art Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1920s Post-War Alexander Calder Art
Wood
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s American Modern Alexander Calder Art
Etching
Late 20th Century Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Pop Art Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Pop Art Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Kinetic Alexander Calder Art
Paint
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s American Modern Alexander Calder Art
ABS, Lithograph
1970s Abstract Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
20th Century Alexander Calder Art
Screen
1970s Modern Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Abstract Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph
1960s Abstract Alexander Calder Art
Lithograph