Calder, Alexander

Alexander Calder was a US-American sculptor and painter whose works are categorized as kinetic art. The Calder family, a family of sculptors, supported his artistic talent from the outset. In the beginning, Calder was self-taught, but quickly found his way to the Paris Academy of Art where he met other eminent artists such as Piet Mondrian and, subsequently, joined the artist group "Abstraction-Création". 
 

These contacts influenced many of his important abstract works, such as the famous "Mobiles". In their own unique way, these works seem to defy gravity. Calder’s moving constructions combine dynamics and abstraction in a poetic, playful way. He was interested in the interaction between movement, sound, and form. With his well-known wire mobiles, he managed to portray movements in fascinating, unrepeatable pictorial moments. His first solo exhibition opened in Germany in 1952. "Calder Mobile" was a first huge success, exhibited in the Parnass Gallery in Wuppertal. Most of his works have been in the possession of the New York Calder Foundation since 1987. 
 

The lightness of movement between form and colour cannot only be felt in his kinetic sculptures, but also in his works of printmaking. Playful compositions and expressive colourfulness are characteristic of these works and lend them a clear, plastic expression due to the simple, abstract forms. Calder created extraordinary works between the poles of Mondrian’s geometry and Miró’s light-hearted, poetic abstractions. Today, Calder’s lithographs, including the early exhibition posters, are much sought-after collectors’ items.