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Calder Pryamids  "Pyramids," Signed lithograph Artist Proof by Alexander S. Calder, American, (1904-1989) One of the most inventive American Modern artists, portly generous “Sandy” loved good food, red wine, and dancing the Charleston with his wife. Born into a family of accomplished artists, Calder adored moving things from an early age. After completing his college degree in civil engineering, he took a job as a firefighter aboard an ocean freighter. Off the coast of Guatemala, he awoke one morning to see a large flaming red ball of sun off the ship’s deck. When he turned away, he saw a large silver moon. At this spectacle, he vowed to become an artist. The color red and the motif of the planetary system forever occupied his fascination. A child of the industrial age, Calder is best known for inventing the “mobile.” He revolutionized traditional sculpture by turning it upside down, hanging it from the ceiling, adding color, and introducing the chance elements of time and motion. He also admired geometric shapes and the primary colors blue, red, and yellow and the "non-colors" black and white. Works held in the collections of The Whitney Museum of American Art, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Previous • Back to List • Next |