
Collection Online as of March 25, 2023
Part of a set. See all set records
(American, 1898–1976)
Painted steel and aluminum
Gift of The Halle Bros. Co. 1961.195.a
© Estate of Alexander Calder / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
225 German Expressionism & Surrealism
Alexander Calder’s training as a mechanical engineer reinforced his lifelong interest in moving objects and inspired him to invent the mobile, a new type of sculpture that ranks among the most innovative discoveries in modern art. Calder's mobiles are often suspended from the ceiling, but here the mobile hangs on top of a black support structure. Both the spiral and irregular loops of the mobile are recurring forms in Calder's sculptural work.