ALEXANDER CALDER
1898-1976
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
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Pioneer of the art form called the mobile.
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Created many types of art including
miniature circus performed in America
and Europe and many large scale
sculptures.
EARLY YEARS
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Born in Pennsylvania in 1898
Parents were artists
Calder created his first sculptures at the
age of 10 – Dog (1908) and Duck (1908)
Duck was kinetic – it moved when
touched
Studied engineering at Stevens Institute
of Technology
Worked few jobs before becoming an
artist
DOG 1908
DUCK (1908)
CAREER BEGINNINGS
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Calder had a lifelong fascination with the
circus
In 1926, he built toys that moved that
became a miniature circus called Cirque
Calder. He packed circus into suitcase
and traveled and performed his circus –
 Preliminary form of “performance art.”
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CIRQUE CALDER
CIRCUS PERFORMANCE
SCULPTURES
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Wire sculptures
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Kinetic sculptures
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Stabiles – Big Bird, 1937
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Mobiles – Moving sculptures
◦ Motors and Cranks (Pantograph, 1931)
◦ Air currents (Cone d’ebene, 1933)
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Larger scale outdoor mobiles and stabiles
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Constellations
ROMULUS & REMUS 1928
SPRING 1928
CONE D’EBENE
2 SPHERES WITHIN A SPHERE
1931
PANTOGRAPH 1931
BIG BIRD (1937)
DEVIL FISH (1937)
LOBSTER TRAP & FISH TAIL 1939
CONSTELLATION 1942
CONSTELLATION 1943
INTERNATIONAL MOBILE (1949)
MOBILEE
THE STAR 1960
EL SOL ROJO
FLAMINGO 2
FLAMINGO CHICAGO
MAN, MONTREAL
BRANIFF AIRPLANES