Alexander Calder: Workshop for Kids

‘MY WORKSHOP BECAME SOME SORT OF A CENTRE OF ATTRACTION; EVERYBODY CAME IN.’

– Alexander Calder, 1966

American artist Alexander Calder is well known for his invention of the mobile and introducing movement into art. He was born into a family of artists.

After school, Calder studied engineering but soon realised that he really wanted to be an artist. He attended art classes and moved to Paris where he worked and made friends with artists, musicians and writers.

From the start Calder was fascinated with movement: he sketched animals in action at the zoo and began including moveable parts in his sculptures. One of his first major works was Cirque Calder – a circus of performers and animals made of wire and found objects that came to life in his hands. In his huge workshop, Calder’s creative mind and skills led him to construct beautiful kinetic mobiles that moved in the breeze and impressive metal sculptures called stabiles, which you can see in the exhibition here at NGV as well as in cities all over the world.

Now it’s your turn to be creative at Alexander Calder: Workshop for Kids – construct a sculpture of an animal and build a sculpture for your city at Creation Zone.