Alexander Calder
Images

Alexander Calder, Chat-mobile (Cat Mobile), 1966, Painted sheet metal and steel wire, 20 x 26 x 26 in. (50.8 x 66 x 66 cm), Collection Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Leonard and Ruth Horwich Family Loan, EL1995.10
Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago © 2013 Calder Foundation, New York/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New YorkAbout
MCA DNA: Alexander Calder traces the development of the artist's ideas over a 50-year career, in particular, his exploration of how art can move in response to its physical environment. The exhibition presents examples of Alexander Calder’s
Trained as an engineer, Calder applied his knowledge of mechanics to colorful abstract shapes. Activated by air currents, his dynamic mobiles are ever-changing compositions. Marcel Duchamp invented the word mobile to describe Calder's revolutionary work. Even Calder's Flamingo
The city of Chicago was important to Calder. In 1935, the Renaissance Society and the Arts Club of Chicago hosted one of his early solo exhibitions in the United States. The Horwich family amassed a significant Calder collection, befriending the artist and ultimately acquiring more than two dozen of his artworks. In 1974, as part of the inaugural ceremonies for Flamingo, then-Mayor Richard J. Daley declared a “Calder Day,” and Calder was carried to the sculpture's dedication by a circus-themed parade on State Street. As part of these festivities, the MCA mounted a major Calder exhibition, and his art has been a steady presence in the museum's galleries ever since.
MCA DNA: Alexander Calder is part of an ongoing exhibition series featuring iconic works from the MCA Collection and is organized by Michael Darling, James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.