By Andrew Bay, UK
Alexander Calder was born in July 1898 in a middle-class artistic family in Pennsylvania. One might say he already had art in his DNA, since his mother was a skilled painter, and both his father and his grandfather were renowned American sculptors. Back in the Old Country in Scotland, his ancestors had been stone craftsmen and masons for several generations. Calder and his older sister Margaret grew up in a loving, creative household, dividing their time between New York and California.
After graduating from high school in 1915, Calder decided to become an engineer at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. Although his stint in this institution was only short-lived, he learned sound scientific principles in the fields of mathematics, physics, kinetics, and the nature of industrial materials. This knowledge undoubtedly served him well later on in his artistic and creative process.
Journal
Mobiles, Maquettes, Tulips and Butterflies: Alexander Calder...
By Andrew Bay, UK
Alexander Calder was born in July 1898 in a middle-class artistic family in Pennsylvania. One might say he already had art in his DNA, since his mother was a skilled painter, and both his father and
