3rd Grade Art Appreciation: Alexander Calder

Biography:

Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976) was an American sculptor
who was best known for inventing the mobile, or art that moves.

As a child, Alexander enjoyed making things from old dishes and pieces of wire. He also loved to make contraptions from collections of scraps and junk.

Duck 1909

When Alexander was four years old, he created his first sculpture; a clay elephant. In the fourth grade, he created a sculpture of a dog and a duck out of brass. The duck was able to rock back and forth, which is an early example of Alexander's interest in kinetic (moving) art.

"Polychrome and Horizontal Bluebird"

As Alexander got older, he decided to pursue a career in art, and started creating larger mobiles that were sometimes several feet long. These mobiles usually consisted of metal plates, wires and rods and were moved by the air or by the help of a gentle push of the hand.

"Horizontal"

During the last twenty years of Alexander's life, he created monumental sculptures. These were very large, mainly outdoor piece of work. They would sit outside museums or corporate headquarter buildings. Alexander would start with a small-scale design and then have the large-sale version fabricated by ironworkers.