Mobile

Movable, changeable.<br><br>A construction made of objects that are balanced and arranged on wire arms and suspended so as to move freely.Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976) introduced this art form in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1932, a month before he first referred to his wire sculptures with moving parts using this term, it was Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887-1968) who suggested to Calder that he call his pieces "mobiles".Calder's entire oeuvre was certainly varied ? sculptures (including mobiles, stabiles, standing mobiles, and wire sculptures), and monumental outdoor works, as well as oil paintings, works on paper, toys, jewelry, and household objects.(pr. moh-BEEL)Examples: Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976), Calder's Circus, 1926-31, mixed media: wire, wood, metal, cloth, yarn, paper, cardboard, leather, string, rubber tubing, corks, buttons, rhinestones, pipe cleaners, and bottle caps, 54 x 94 1/4 x 94 1/4 inches (137.2 x 239.4 x 239.4 cm) overall, Whitney Museum of American Art, NY. Alexander Calder, The Orange Fish, 1946, painted metal mobile, 75 x 176 inches, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Iran. Alexander Calder, Brass in the Sky, 1947, brass, 96 x 120 inches (243.8 x 304.8 cm), Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL.