1898-1976, American sculptor, b. Philadelphia; son of a
prominent sculptor, Alexander Stirling Calder. Among the most
innovative modern sculptors, Calder was trained as a mechanical
engineer. In 1930 he went to Paris and was influenced by the art
of Mondrian and Miró. In 1932 he exhibited his first brightly
colored constellations, called mobiles, consisting of painted
cut-out shapes connected by wires and set in motion by wind
currents. The Museum of Modern Art, New York City, has several
examples. These buoyant inventions and his witty wire portraits,
his colorful and complex miniature zoo (1925; Whitney Mus., New
York City), and his immobile sculptures known as stabiles, have
brought Calder world renown. Many of his later works are huge,
heavy, and delicately balanced mobiles produced for public
buildings throughout the world. Calder is also noted for his
book illustrations and stage sets. He had studios in Roxbury,
Conn., and Paris.