When the final tally of key movers in the plastic arts of this century is compiled, there is no doubt that maestro of movement Alexander Calder (1898-1976), the man who put the swing into sculpture, will be near numero uno. Calder took it off the plinth, gave it to the wind, and left us kinetic playgrounds of the spirit. He operated at the point where Modernity and nature Fused, developing an environmental art that changed the medium Forever. Visiting his Paris atelier in 1932, Duchamp coined the term "Mobiles" For Calder's delicate wire and disc pieces, constructions that would soon become immensely popular. But he didn't rest on his innovations. Friends with Miro, Mondrian and Leger, Calder also turned his hand to painting, drawing, gouaches, toys, textiles and utensil design. A graphic master who sketched as much in air as in ink, the Sixties and Seventies saw Calder take on the monumental, translating the dynamics of cities into both his Mobiles and "Stabiles". At a time when sculpture was perceived to be the antithesis of movement, Calder unmade gravity and freed the elements in a body of work that is still sending a wind of change through the art world today.
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Editorial Reviews
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In art, mobile and Alexander Calder are synonymous. Indeed, without Calder, mobile might not be an art term at all. His constructions of brightly colored, flat metal shapes, some or all of which are suspended so that any current of air can move them, constitute a body of modern artwork that is genuinely popular as well as famous. They revive in adults the delighted fascination of an infant with shiny objects dangled just beyond its grasp. It is no surprise, then, to learn from Baal-Teshuva's enthusiastic sketch of Calder that he made toys, at first for his sister, when as young as eight and . . . never stopped. (Another nonsurprise is that his friend Miroinfluenced him; many Calder pieces would fit perfectly into a roomful of Miros.) He also made stabiles, or stable sculptures, paintings, and jewelry. A great many examples in all his characteristic media appear in splendid color in this paperback, which has to be one of the great current bargains among art books. Snap it up! Ray Olson
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Alexander Calder,
By Gavin Swift (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Alexander Calder (Paperback)
This book is an excellent piece of work. Expertly written and illustrated with an array of beatifully taken colour photographs. This book is a must have for any fan of Calder's work. Superb.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Alexander Calder,
By ArtMom (Northern ID United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Calder, 1898-1976 (Album Series) (Paperback)
This is a wonderful little book. It is a great resource on Calder. I volunteer at our local grade school as an art docent and shared this book with my classes for our Alexander Calder mobile projects. The students were impressed. The quality of the photos is first rate and the text is informative.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent & Economical,
By jim "bear" (IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Calder, 1898-1976 (Album Series) (Paperback)
This is a great overview of Calder's work and life. Excellent, accurate color photos of his work, which includes many examples of work beside his famous mobiles--such as jewelry, paintings (even a painting on the exterior of a Braniff DC 8 jetliner), & stabiles (including his toys). Plenty of human-interest type details about Caulder and insights into his "thinking" about art. The book is only 9 X 7 1/2 inches in size, but the images are very satisfying to look at and capture the FUN of his work. A nice Biographical Timeline at the end of the book is very helpful. This is another quality book published by Taschen with an economical price.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Alexander Calder is one of the most important innovators in 20th-century sculpture. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hanging mobile, wire sculptures Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Whitney Museum, Private Collection Courtesy Waddington Gallery, Cirque Calder, Centre Georges Pompidou, Courtesy Jane Kahan Gallery, Jean-Paul Sartre, Guggenheim Museum, Hans Arp, Piet Mondrian, Calder's Universe, Courtesy Davlyn Gallery, Josephine Baker New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Alexander Calder is one of the most important innovators in 20th-century sculpture. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hanging mobile, wire sculptures Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Whitney Museum, Private Collection Courtesy Waddington Gallery, Cirque Calder, Centre Georges Pompidou, Courtesy Jane Kahan Gallery, Jean-Paul Sartre, Guggenheim Museum, Hans Arp, Piet Mondrian, Calder's Universe, Courtesy Davlyn Gallery, Josephine Baker New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 10
books:
See all 10 books this book cites
1
book
cites this book:
- Animal Sketching (Dover Art Instruction) by Alexander Calder on page 10, and Back Matter
- Moon Face by Jack London on page 52
- Calder: Mobilist, Ringmaster, Innovator by David Bourdon in Back Matter
- Thomas Eakins by Darrel Sewell on page 3
- Calder Sculpture by Alexander S.C. Rower in Back Matter
See all 10 books this book cites
- Spiritual RX: Prescriptions for Living a Meaningful Life by Mary Ann Brussat in Back Matter
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