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 |