Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder was born in Pennsylvania, in 1898 Alexander Calder was born in Pennsylvania, in 1898. When Calder was a boy, he was fascinated by the stars and planets and how machines worked. He invented a brand-new, fun, and exciting art using the things that interested him. 12/1/2018

Alexander’s parents were artists Alexander’s parents were artists. His father and grandfather were sculptors, and his mother was a painter. Calder’s parents had lots of artist friends and he spent a lot of time around them. At a very young age he was able to see how paintings and sculptures were created. 12/1/2018

Alexander made clever toys, gadgets, and gifts for people all through his grade-school and teenage years. He decided to study engineering in college, where he learned about designing engines and machines. After college Calder tried all kinds of jobs, but none of them worked out. 12/1/2018

Alexander Calder moved in with his parents after a number of engineering jobs and his father worried about his sons future. To please his father Alexander took some drawing classes. He discovered he loved drawing and became interested in painting, too. 12/1/2018

Alexander drew and painted scenes from all over New York City Alexander drew and painted scenes from all over New York City. His favorite subjects were the animals of the Zoo. He decided to be a full-time artist and became an illustrator for a magazine. Once his parents saw Calder was serious about art they sent him to Paris to study and see what other artists were doing. 12/1/2018

Alexander soon became interested in making three-dimensional figures out of wire. He liked working with wire. It was something he had been using ever since he was a kid, when he made all those toys for his family and friends. 12/1/2018

Two artists, Joan Miro and Piet Mondrian helped Alexander get his first art show of his wire sculptures. The show was a big hit. One day, while visiting Mondrian’s studio, Alexander got an idea. Mondrian had lots of colored cardboard rectangles tacked up on his wall. Calder thought it would be fun if those colored shapes could move around through space. He started making mechanical sculptures with electric motors and cranks. 12/1/2018

Alexander’s mechanical sculptures were a big hit, too Alexander’s mechanical sculptures were a big hit, too. But he wasn’t quite satisfied with them because they repeated the same action over and over and they kept breaking down. Soon he had an idea that was really new and different. He decided to make sculptures that floated in pace naturally whenever a breeze came along. These were the first mobiles. 12/1/2018

Many of Calder’s sculptures were based on images from the solar system Many of Calder’s sculptures were based on images from the solar system. At the same time he was making these sculptures everyone was becoming interested in outer space. The planet Pluto had just been discovered. It was the biggest news in years. People talked about the possibility of space travel and wondered if alien creatures lived on other planets. 12/1/2018

Alexander’s mobiles are amazingly fun to look at Alexander’s mobiles are amazingly fun to look at. They keep surprising you by dancing around and changing position all the time. You can blow on some of them to help make them move. Some of Calder’s, mobiles are small enough to hold in your hand, while others weigh thousands of pounds. 12/1/2018

Calder made stabile sculptures that did not move Calder made stabile sculptures that did not move. They are surprising, too. Even though they’re abstract shapes, they often remind people of gigantic insects, birds, or prehistoric animals. It’s fun to walk around and under the huge stables. It kind of make you feel like you’re in a strange world of giant creatures! 12/1/2018

More stable sculptures 12/1/2018

By the time Alexander Calder died in 1976, he had become one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His idea of making fun, colorful shapes move naturally in the air changed the way people thought about sculpture forever. 12/1/2018

Getting to Know the World’s Artists: Alexander Calder by Mike Venezia Bibliography Getting to Know the World’s Artists: Alexander Calder by Mike Venezia