Calder Jewelry Exhibit: At the Met Through March 1

Alexander Calder (1898-1976), whose illustrious career spanned much of the 20th century, is the most acclaimed and influential sculptor of our time. Born in a family of celebrated, though more classically trained artists, Calder utilized his innovative genius to profoundly change the course of modern art. He began by developing a new method of sculpting: by bending and twisting wire, he essentially "drew" three-dimensional figures in space. He is renowned for the invention of the mobile, whose suspended, abstract elements move and balance in changing harmony. Calder also devoted himself to making outdoor sculpture on a grand scale from bolted sheet steel. Today, these stately titans grace public plazas in cities throughout the world.

Calder in his Paris studio, 14 Rue de la Colonie, fall 1931. Photograph by Marc Vaux

Photo and bio from calder.org.

I learned about the new show at the Met, Calder's Jewelry, today in WSJ's article Body Sculpture Crafted by Calder by Lance Esplund. What's not interesting about a crazy mobile-making genius who couldn't not make crazy, mobile, movement-inspired jewelry and objects d'art (approximately 1,800 pieces in his lifetime)? Nothing. At the Met through March 1. See you there.