Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start - by Cara Manes (Hardcover)

About the Book

Published in conjunction with the exhibition Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start, at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, March 7-August 7, 2021.

Book Synopsis

On Alexander Calder's fruitful, creative and enduring relationship with MoMA, from the early wire sculptures to late abstractions

Alexander Calder's work first appeared in the Museum of Modern Art's galleries in 1930, in the exhibition Painting and Sculpture by Living Americans. Over the next decades the artist's connection with the Museum would be deep, productive and mutually beneficial. Calder cultivated friendships and working relationships with notable figures, including Alfred H. Barr Jr., the Museum's founding director, and James Johnson Sweeney, with whom he collaborated on his expansive retrospective exhibition in 1943. His work is imprinted on MoMA's early history, not only for its material and conceptual innovation but also for its presence at significant moments, such as a mobile made to hang over the lobby's grand staircase on the occasion of the new Goodwin and Stone building (Lobster Trap and Fish Tail, which hangs there to this day); an elaborate candelabra to adorn the tables at a celebratory anniversary event; and a sculpture to fly off a flagpole to advertise the landmark exhibition Cubism and Abstract Art.

Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start celebrates this extraordinarily fertile relationship between an institution and an artist who was both an important creative partner and, with his magnificent gift of 19 works in 1966, a major donor. Through MoMA, Calder came to be known as a pioneer of modern sculpture, and through Calder, MoMA came to understand itself as an American museum of modern art.

After studying engineering, Alexander Calder (1898-1976) moved to Paris in the late 1920s, where he found himself at the center of the city's artistic avant-garde. There, he developed his Cirque Calder, a performance artwork comprising dozens of miniature handmade objects, and a group of standalone figurative works in wire. Turning toward abstraction in 1930, Calder invented the mobile--an abstract sculpture made of independent parts that incorporate natural or mechanical movement. He would continue to explore the possibilities of this visual language for the rest of his career, eventually shifting to monumental constructions and public works.

Review Quotes

With virus fears spiraling again, it seems like there's no better time to enter Calder's universe and be spirited away.--Val Castronovo "Our Town"

Released in conjunction with MoMA's retrospective, 'Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start' is an in-depth and endearing look at the relationship between the museum and one of the greatest American artists of all time. His work first appeared in the museum in 1930, just 1 year after its founding, under the direction of Alfred H. Barr, Jr. and has been shown regularly since; one of the most fruitful institution/artist relationships on record.--Allison Schaller "Vanity Fair"

A striking [book] celebrates the sculptor and his long association with the museum, in work that ranges from his inventive jewelry to his massive mobiles.--Lance Esplund "Wall Street Journal"

Incorporate[d] motion, repurposed objects, and a sense of whimsy in his works...--Diana Kim "Mommy Poppins"

Calder exemplifies the free spirit in modern sculpture... this book ... show[s] the earliest wire sculptures that helped launch Calder's career through his exploration into animated and monumental works.--Doug King "Patron"

Offers new insight into the resourceful and creative artist.--Soren Larson "Reuters"