Alexander Calder is the inventor of unique mobile sculptures and a recognized master of kineticism
Alexander Calder became famous for the creation of the so-called “mobiles” – movable sculptural compositions that are powered by electricity or wind. Among the many masterpieces of the artist’s work, there are also monumental works, which the author himself called “stables”.
Alexander Calder throughout his creative career, in addition to sculpture, was fond of other types of fine art. He created scenery for theatrical performances, engravings and book illustrations, painted pictures, painted cars and planes with bright colors. In addition, the artist was engaged in the manufacture of jewelry, which he gladly gave to his many friends.
Biography
Alexander Calder was born on July 22, 1898 in the town of Lawton. Before graduation, he managed to live in Arizona, in the California resort town of Pasadena, after which his family moved to New York.
Calder dreamed of being an artist since childhood, but his father and mother did not approve of his son’s choice and strongly advised him to become a certified engineer. Alexander obeyed their will and entered the Technological Institute in 1915 at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. After graduation, he got a job in his specialty in the company of the famous inventor Thomas Edison. He then served for several years as a mechanic on a cruise ship and worked as a lumberjack on the Pacific coast of the United States.
Only in 1923, Alexander Calder firmly decided to change his profession and returned to New York to his parents. He entered the Art Students League where, under the tutelage of George Lux and John Sloan, he studied the basics of painting and sculpture for three years. Then Alexander went to Paris and continued his studies at the famous Académie de la Grande Chaumière, from which he graduated in 1929. In the capital of France, he became friends with prominent avant-garde artists. At the same time, he became interested in making wire movable sculptures, which later brought the master wide fame.
In the summer of 1929, during a sea voyage from Paris to New York, Calder met Louise James, and two years later they were married. The family union turned out to be successful, the wife gave the artist two daughters and lived with him in marriage for 45 years.
Together with his wife, the master moved to the USA permanently in 1933. He settled in the small town of Roxbury, Connecticut, bought a piece of land, built a house and enthusiastically took up creativity. Very soon, the original sculptures of the master gained immense popularity in America. He became a fashion artist and made good money selling kinetic art.
With the outbreak of World War II, Kolner attempted to enlist in the army, but did not pass the medical examination due to poor health. Being a very sought-after master, by the end of the 1940s he began to receive many orders for the manufacture of monumental monuments and gradually became interested in this occupation.
In 1963, the artist suddenly decided to leave America for permanent residence in Europe. Together with his wife and daughters, he moved to France, to the picturesque town of Tours, located at the confluence of the Loire and Indre rivers. Here he spent the last years of his life, creating sculptures, jewelry and engravings.
From time to time, the master left his comfortable home to take part in large-scale exhibitions and presentations. He was often invited as a guest of honor to prestigious events in the field of fine arts in different parts of our planet. On one of these trips, the life path of the master was cut short. On November 11, 1976 in New York, shortly after the opening of another solo exhibition, Alexander Calder died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 78.
