Alexander Calder (1898-1976) loved engineering, sunsets, and circuses. He was an avant-garde sculptor committed to representing form, mass, and movement.
What was his most notable legacy? Probably creating what his french pal Marcel Duchamp dubbed “mobiles” for their motion. Mobiles are a form of kinetic sculpture that hang in a balance from rods. In his creations, Calder’s motion was both abstract and literal – human eyes jump around just looking at Calder’s work. Even when it’s two-dimensional, the shapes and lines jump around. Calder also helped invent performance art by physically moving his sculptures around in Cirque Calder.
Calder was an innovator and an experimenter who made his life’s work a balancing act.
Foundations of Art, Design, + Digital Culture 