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Alexander Calder Thought 'It Would Be Fun' to Set Abstract Art in Motion. His Mesmerizing Mobiles Transformed the Definition of Sculpture

Latest articles | smithsonianmag.com·Latest articles | smithsonianmag.com·about 1 month ago
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A new exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris spotlights 300 of the sculptor’s groundbreaking kinetic artworks, large-scale public sculptures, paintings, drawings and wire portraits April 28, 2026 12:24 p.m. Sculptor Alexander Calder and one of his mobiles Bettmann via Getty Images When Alexander Calder was 11, he made his parents two small animal figurines for Christmas: a dog and a duck , both sculpted from sheets of brass. The dog stood on four legs, with its tail positioned in an upward swirl. But the duck, which rested on its curved underside, rocked back and forth when tapped. Art historians consider it Calder’s first kinetic sculpture . The year was 1909, and the idea of incorporating movement into sculpture was novel; it would later define Calder’s artistic legacy. Those two early artworks are now on display in a new blockbuster exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton , a relatively new arrival to Paris’ art museum scene.…

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