Julia and Spiny Top, Curly Bottom at Getty Center
Alexander Calder, American, 1898-1976
Painted Steel, 1963
Black Widow at MOMA, NYC
Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976)
Painted sheet steel, 1959
Mrs. Simon Guggenheim fund, 1963
Innocent bystanders, caught accidently with Black Widow...
...there's someone not so 'innocent', hah!
"Fish" by Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976) at Smithsonian American Art Museum
1944, painted metal, plastic, wood, glass and ceramic
(Info plate:) Calder created Fish during World War II, when steel was scarce; he combed his neighborhood for cast-off materials. He once remarked, 'I myself am like my mobiles, when I walk along the the street, I catch things, too.' The artist altered the shapes and colors of his found objects and built this whimsical swimmer so the scales would throw off iridescent reflections. Fish expresses the pure pleasure of color and movement, of 'drawing in the air' which Calder derived from all his work, whether tiny circus creatures or gigantic outdoor sculptures. He made a number of fish mobiles over a twenty-year period, and gave them to friends as gifts." The National Gallery of Art has a jeweled fish as well, which I was not able to photograph, as I'd filled the camera's memory card. This jeweled fish has a winged hand and was suspended from the ceiling. Two shadows from it appeared on the nearby wall, such that the onlooker sees the original piece, then below it a fairly detailed shadow and below that, a second shadow less detailed. I'd have loved to get photos of the Calders in the East wing. An entire area was devoted to his fun. In addition to their intrinsic qualities, there was shadow play on the walls which added to the total effect.
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Here's two more at the Hirshhorn:
Although this photo may be viewed larger, I'm happy to report better views of these two pieces and the one above it are at the museum website:
Mobile, (1958)
Critter with Mobile Top, 1974
Some Calders are small:
There was some construction going on when I photographed this August 2010.
In this 2015 photo edit, I've de-emphasised the color saturation of the construction materials.
Even Calder's signage is playful
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