Alexander Calder – 1898-1976
The son and grandson of prominent sculptors, Calder created what he called the mobile, a form of abstract kinetic sculpture, the elements of which are balanced and/or suspended, so that they move in response to wind or (in some works) an electric motor. In addition to this highly influential form, Calder produced elegant stationary sculptures (which he called stabiles) and, most delightfully, an array of imaginative wire figures, many of which he arranged into an expansive miniature circus.