Alexander “Sandy” Calder (1898–1976), the son and grandson of prominent Philadelphia sculptors, was probably destined to make his own mark in the field of three-dimensional art. But no one could have predicted the extent to which this large, gregarious, red-haired man would change the way people thought about sculpture.

Traditional sculpture had been monochrome, but Calder introduced bright colors into his pieces. Rather than solid structures of wood or stone Calder used thin, flat pieces of steel, and whereas traditional sculptures stayed put, the components of Calder’s mobiles—the sculptures for which he became best known—moved in space, creating countless different profiles.

Calder made mobiles of all sizes, from the earrings he gave Peggy Guggenheim to the enormous, untitled work—85 feet across—suspended from the ceiling of the East Building of the National Gallery of Art.  He also created so-called “stabiles,” sculptures without moving parts, and hybrid forms with stationary bases topped by mini-mobiles.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Calder’s art is its whimsical, playful nature: He managed to make sculpture fun. This was true of his famous "Calder's Circus," a miniature collection of tiny figures created from 1926 to 1931, which he “performed” for enthusiastic audiences in New York and Paris.  But it was equally true in Calder’s large, abstract public sculptures like "Stegosaurus" (1972), 50 feet of red-orange sheet metal plates, suggesting—but not specifically representing—the prehistoric beast.

In a richly illustrated lecture, art historian Nancy G. Heller, professor emerita at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, presents an overview of Calder’s life and work, including the sculptures in Calder Gardens, Philadelphia’s new indoor-outdoor space for contemplating the master’s work.

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