In the 1930s, after visiting Piet Mondrian's studio, Calder was inspired by the color and composition, he created an entirely new type of abstract art called mobiles. At first these abstract sculptures were motorized. Calder later modified his design to allow free-floating movement, powered only by air currents. The term “mobile” (a pun on the French for “to move” and “motive”) was named by French artist Marcel Duchamp to describe these new kinetic sculptures. Calder became friends with many influential artists, including Joan Mirò, Fernand Léger, Marcel Duchamp, and Yves Tanguy, and joined the Abstraction-Création group in 1931. Calder continued to spend his time between Paris and New York, and he also bought a farm in Roxbury, Connecticut. By 1933 Calder had returned to the United States, where his abstract-organic sculpture, both mobile and stationary, attracted considerable attention and acclaim. He settled in Connecticut and continued to produce innovative works on both a large and small scale. After 1950 Calder spent part of each year in France.
In addition to the monumental sculptures that can be seen in the United States and Europe, Calder applied his whimsical and lyrical sense of design to media as diverse as metal jewelry and theater sets. In 1976, Alexander Calder died. Throughout his life, his commitment to creating work free from the pretensions of the art world and accessible to all, never stopped him from making exquisitely beautiful and important sculpture. In a century that saw the forms of art and literature reinvented regularly, Alexander Calder stands out as one of the great pioneers of his time.
