
Pre-Owned Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start (Hardcover)
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- Book formatHardcover
- Fiction/nonfictionNon-Fiction
- Publication dateMarch, 2021
- Pages144
- Reading levelGeneral
- SubgenreArt
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On Alexander Calder's fruitful, creative and enduring relationship with MoMA, from the early wire sculptures to late abstractions
Alexander Calder's work first appeared in the Museum of Modern Art's galleries in 1930, in the exhibition Painting and Sculpture by Living Americans. Over the next decades the artist's connection with the Museum would be deep, productive and mutually beneficial. Calder cultivated friendships and working relationships with notable figures, including Alfred H. Barr Jr., the Museum's founding director, and James Johnson Sweeney, with whom he collaborated on his expansive retrospective exhibition in 1943. His work is imprinted on MoMA's early history, not only for its material and conceptual innovation but also for its presence at significant moments, such as a mobile made to hang over the lobby's grand staircase on the occasion of the new Goodwin and Stone building (Lobster Trap and Fish Tail, which hangs there to this day); an elaborate candelabra to adorn the tables at a celebratory anniversary event; and a sculpture to fly off a flagpole to advertise the landmark exhibition Cubism and Abstract Art.
Alexander Calder: Modern from the Start celebrates this extraordinarily fertile relationship between an institution and an artist who was both an important creative partner and, with his magnificent gift of 19 works in 1966, a major donor. Through MoMA, Calder came to be known as a pioneer of modern sculpture, and through Calder, MoMA came to understand itself as an American museum of modern art. After studying engineering, Alexander Calder (1898-1976) moved to Paris in the late 1920s, where he found himself at the center of the city's artistic avant-garde. There, he developed his Cirque Calder, a performance artwork comprising dozens of miniature handmade objects, and a group of standalone figurative works in wire. Turning toward abstraction in 1930, Calder invented the mobile--an abstract sculpture made of independent parts that incorporate natural or mechanical movement. He would continue to explore the possibilities of this visual language for the rest of his career, eventually shifting to monumental constructions and public works.What is Pre-Owned: Like New?
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Product image for illustration purposes only. The item you receive may vary from the image in minor ways, such as slight differences in appearance, color, and/or design. *Exceptions apply during holiday season, and on certain electronics, collectibles, and jewelry.
Pre-Owned: Like New
What is the Walmart Pre-Owned Program?
Walmart Pre-Owned allows you to find previously owned, well-cared-for items from Walmart’s trusted & performance-managed sellers. Shopping Pre-Owned allows you to bring home the best-quality picks at even lower prices, in addition to extending the life of an item & reducing waste. Find your favorites & shop a range of conditions in every category.
Why Walmart Pre-Owned?

Trusted sellers & quality items
Each Pre-Owned item listed comes from Walmart’s trusted performance-managed sellers, to ensure you get quality items.
Quality you can afford
Save even more on top brands & your most-loved items.

30-day free returns
Don’t love it? Most items offer a 30-day* free return policy, for added peace of mind.

Sustainability
Shopping Pre-Owned helps in extending the life of an item & reducing waste.
Product image for illustration purposes only. The item you receive may vary from the image in minor ways, such as slight differences in appearance, color, and/or design. *Exceptions apply during holiday season, and on certain electronics, collectibles, and jewelry.
