Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form Balance Joy

Alexander Calder, a legendary and beloved figure in American art, hasnot generally been considered a major influence on contemporary artists.Yet as the twenty-first century unfolds, many artists are taking cues fromCalder’s hands-on investigations of form, balance, color, and movementas well as from his foresight in what we now refer to as the creative reuseof materials. These artists are returning to explorations of structure andbalance, creating expressive artworks that celebrate the visual over theintellectual experience. Drawn from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago’s in-depthholdings of Calder’s work and augmented by the artist’s classic mobiles,standing mobiles, and stabiles from private and public collections, thispioneering consideration of Calder’s influence includes works by someof today’s most interesting and engaging sculptors: Martin Boyce, NathanCarter, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Aaron Curry, Kristi Lippire, JasonMeadows, and Jason Middlebrook. The book features new scholarship on Calder’s creative reuse ofmaterials by noted expert Brooke Kamin Rapaport. Scholar GeorgeBaker evaluates how the modern era in general and Calder in particularhave influenced young sculptors. Exhibition organizer Lynne Warrencontributes an overview of current sculptural practices in relationto Calder’s work.There are also contributions by Bryan Granger,Dominic Molon, Diana Nawi, and Julie Rodrigues Wildholm.