Alexander Calder
July 22, 1898
American artist Alexander Calder changed the course of modern art by developing an innovative method of sculpting, bending, and twisting wire to create three-dimensional drawings in space. Resonating with the Futurists and Constructivists, as well as the language of early nonobjective painting, Calders mobiles (a term coined by Marcel Duchamp in 1931 to describe his work) consist of abstract shapes made of industrial materialsoften poetic and gracefully formed and at times boldly coloredthat hang in an uncanny, perfect balance. His complex assemblage Cirque Calder (192631), which allowed for the artists manipulation of its various characters presented before an audience, predated Performance Art by some 40 years. Later in his career, Calder devoted himself to making outdoor monumental sculptures in bolted sheet steel that continue to grace public plazas in cities throughout the world.
 consist of abstract shapes made of industrial materialsoften poetic and gracefully formed and at times boldly coloredthat hang in an uncanny, perfect balance. His complex assemblage Cirque Calder (192631), which allowed for the artists manipulation of its various characters presented before an audience, predated Performance Art by some 40 years. Later in his career, Calder devoted himself to making outdoor monumental sculptures in bolted sheet steel that continue to grace public plazas in cities throughout the world.){kind=avatar}
