History of Art: Alexander Calder

Art of the 20th Century

Art Styles in 20th century Art Map

Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder

(b Philadelphia, PA, 22 July 1898; d New York, 11 Nov 1976).

Sculptor, painter, illustrator, printmaker and designer, son of Alexander Stirling Calder. He graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1919. In 1923 he enrolled at the Art Students League in New York, where he was inspired by his teacher, John Sloan, to produce oil paintings. He became a freelance artist for the National Police Gazette in 1924, sketching sporting events and circus performances. His first illustrated book, Animal Sketching (New York, 1926), was based on studies made at the Bronx and Central Park Zoos in New York. The illustrations are brush and ink studies of animals in motion, with an accompanying text by the artist.