Alexander Calder en Touraine

Alexander Calder revolutionized the art of sculpture by making movement one of its main components. Yet his invention of the “mobile” was only one of Calder’s achievements. In his early wire figures and in his “stabiles,” static sculptures in sheet metal, Calder created innovative works by exploring the aesthetic possibilities of untraditional materials. As a major contribution to the development of abstract art, Calder’s stabiles and mobiles challenged the prevailing notion of sculpture as a composition of masses and volumes by proposing a new definition based on the ideas of open space and transparency. With the giant stabiles of the latter part of his career, Calder launched a new type of public sculpture — one which proved so successful that many of these works have become landmarks in cities around the globe. This publication is a documentation of Calder’s presence in Touraine during the 1950’s through to his death; it compiles a broad overview of his works which he created during his time in Sache. It presents works such as his renowned mobiles, lithos, paintings, tapestries and gouache works.