Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist born in 1898 in Pennsylvania. He is known for inventing mobiles, moving sculptures made of weighted objects that are balanced to move freely in response to air currents. Calder made play and movement the major themes of his art over his 50-year career. He created sculptures out of unusual materials like wire, wood, and sheet metal. Some of his most famous mobiles and sculptures include "Mobile", "Devil Fish", "Mercury Fountain", and "Five Swords". Calder had a childlike view of the world that was reflected in his innovative and interactive kinetic artworks.

2. QUICK FACTS
NAME
Alexander
OCCUPATION
Illustrator , Sculptor
BIRTH DATE
July 22, 1898
DEATH DATE
November 11, 1976
EDUCATION
Art Students League
PLACE OF BIRTH
Lawnton Pensylvania
PLACE OF DEATH
New York
NICKNAME
Sandy Calder

3.  Alexander Calder made play the
major theme of his art. Over the
course of more than fifty years, he
worked harder than most in the
pursuit of the creation of his own
universe, invented a whole new
genre, an art of moving
sculpture known as ‘mobiles,’
and made works on an
unsurpassed scale.
 But he was also an incredibly
interesting character, a man who
had a childlike view of life which
translated seamlessly into his
work.

4.  Many artists made contour line drawings on
paper, but Calder was the first to use wire to
create three-dimensional line "drawings" of
people, animals, and objects.These "linear
sculptures" introduced line into sculpture as
an element itself.

8. “GOLDFISH BOWL”, 1929
“FRANK CROWNINSHIELD”,1928

10. “SPACETUNNEL”, 1932
“UNTITLED” , 1930

11. “TWO SPHERES WITHIN ONE SPHERE”,
1931
“”SMALL FEATHERS”, 1931

12. “MERCURY FOUNTAIN”, 1937 “DEVIL FISH”, 1937

13. “FOUR LEAVES ANDTHREE
PETALS”, 1939
“LITTLE SPIDER”, 1940
“LITTLEWOODEN MOBILE”, 1942

14. “THE ANVIL”, 1950
“STARFISH ON PINK”, 1949

15. “SWORD PLANT”, 1949
“REDT WITH BLACK FLAGS”,
1946

16. “GLASS FISH”, 1955

17. “THEY”, 1960
“DOUBLE ENDER”, 1957

18. “THE EAGLE”, 1971 “JANEY WANEY”, 1969

19. “FIVE SWORDS”, 1976

20. “HORIZONTAL”, 1974
“FLAMINGO”, 1973

21. “TRIPLE GONG”, 1951