Calder at home

by Pedro E. Guerrero

Known the world over for his creation of the mobile, Calder (1898-1976) was the son and grandson of sculptors - Alexander Stirling Calder and Alexander Milne Calder; his mother, Nanette, was a portrait painter. Living in the avant-garde atmosphere of Paris in the mid-1920s helped transform Calder's early genius in making objects from bent wire into a lifelong interest in sculpture that moved. From his famous Circus of 1926-30, to his mobiles and stabiles, to colorful gouaches, textiles, toys, forks and spoons, and even a fleet of airplanes, everything Calder created was imbued with fun and intelligence. An album of a joyous, creative household, Calder at Home shows how Calder extended his unbounded creativity and enthusiasm to every corner of his existence, from living room hearth to dining table, from kitchen to bathroom, from studio ceiling to studio floor. And things that would not fit indoors tumbled outside to enliven nature with his lasting vision. Guerrero's photographs capture