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Maker(s):Calder, Alexander
Culture:American (1898 - 1976)
Title:Mobile
Date Made:1934
Type:Sculpture
Materials:nickel-plated wood, wire and steel
Place Made:United States
Measurements:overall: 42 1/2 x 11 7/8 in.; 107.95 x 30.1625 cm
Narrative Inscription:  unsigned, undated
Accession Number:  SC 1935.11.1
Credit Line:Purchased
Museum Collection:  Smith College Museum of Art
1935_11_1_a.jpg

Description:
kinetic sculpture of round metal loop with pole extending diagonally up from edge on which fish line hangs with metal rod carrying more fish lines on the ends of which are attached geometric forms

Label Text:
The son of a Philadelphia sculptor, Alexander Calder studied mechanical engineering before studying art. His first works were wire portraits and figures, but by 1931 he began to make kinetic, or moving, sculptures driven by motors or hand cranks. He soon abandoned this mechanical means of animating his sculpture and began to create works that instead were activated by random air currents. His friend, the artist Marcel Duchamp, dubbed these “mobiles,” coining that now-familiar term.

The Museum’s mobile, with its small galaxy of silvered forms, suggests the artist’s lifelong interest in astronomy. Calder made his early mobiles by experimenting with different suspended materials, including colored glass, pieces of pottery, and found objects. The use of nickel-plated wood in this sculpture appears to be unique among his work.

Tags:
abstract

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1935.11.1

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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