Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor who is best known for his mobile like sculptures. Calder was fascinated by the idea of ‘drawing’ with wire and experimented with this throughout his career. He would create 3D portraits of people and used line to his advantage when designing these works (right). These wire portraits are fascinating and carry a beautiful sense of movement due to Calder’s shaping of the wire, particularly to show hair.  In the 1930s, Calder began constructing his first abstract mobile sculptures (left). These sculptures were usually made from wood and sheet metal and coloured with paint. They move peacefully, relying on the careful balance of each element to support the whole piece.