Calder
December 13 - February 9, 2020
St. Moritz
Calder was one of the most influential and pioneering artists of the 20th-century, transforming the very nature of sculpture by introducing the fourth dimension of time into art and the actuality of real-time experience into his work. Explore the artist’s mobiles, stabiles, standing mobiles, and paintings spanning the 1940s to the 1970s. The pieces on view reflect Calder’s direct and innovative approach to art-making, whereby he cultivated a practice that not only explored multiple dimensions but also oscillated between the monumental and the intimate. A master of many materials and techniques, Calder created a diverse body of work that represents a career-long interest in energy and form. Calder’s innovative ‘mobiles’ and ‘stabiles’ solidified his place in the canon of 20th-century art. His unique exploration of abstraction—engaging energetic forces, sculpting volumes out of voids—resulted in objects that radically alter our experience of space.
Selected images
Events
Opening reception: ‘Calder’
Join us for the opening reception of work by one of the most influential and pioneering artists of the twentieth century, Alexander Calder, who transformed the very nature of sculpture by introducing the fourth dimension of time into art. Explore the artist’s mobiles, stabiles, standing mobiles, paintings, and a monumental outdoor sculpture in this major exhibition, for our second winter season in St. Moritz. A master of many materials and techniques, Calder created a diverse body of work that represents a career-long interest in energy and form. Pushing the boundaries of modern art with his mobiles and stabiles, Calder experimented with the concept of real-time experience. From 1953 Calder’s focus diverted to the creation of large-scale sculptures; one highlight being ‘Untitled’ (1976), a key work which can be seen outside of the St Moritz gallery, within the surroundings of the Swiss mountains. An extension of his Critter series from 1974, of which otherworldly figures adopt turbulent postures and characteristics such as multiple arms or legs, ‘Untitled’ is an exotic creature that stands over 17-feet-tall. The pieces on view reflect the artist’s direct and innovative approach to art-making, oscillating from the intimate to the grand.
CinemArt Screening: Alexander Calder: Sculpteur de l’air
To reserve advance tickets by phone, please call 081 842 88 42 François Levy-Keuntz ‧ USA ‧ 2009 ‧ 52 min ‧ Fr/En subtitles The work of Alexander Calder, one of the most revolutionary artists of his time, remains modern and incontestably topical. Born into a family of artists, Calder studied at the Art Students League in New York before relocating to Paris in 1926. He later abandoned figurative wire sculpture and created an entirely new abstract sculptural language. In 1932, he exhibited his first ‘mobiles’: sculptures animated by motors, human intervention, or the movements of the air. The film highlights the pioneering aspect of this work and identifies recurring themes through interviews, archives and excerpts of works in motion. CinemArt is a film series presented by Hauser & Wirth in collaboration with Cinéma Rex Pontresina. A cinematic journey into the art world, this series offers unique views into the lives and work of significant international artists, including a selection connected to Hauser & Wirth’s programme. The selected documentaries and films feature artists and renowned art world figures including Alexander Calder, Rashid Johnson, Piet Oudolf, Philip Guston, Louise Bourgeois, Alberto Giacometti, and Eduardo Chillida.
About the artist
Alexander Calder was born in 1898, the second child of artist parents—his father was a sculptor and his mother a painter. In his mid-twenties, Calder moved to New York City, where he studied at the Art Students League and worked at the ‘National Police Gazette,’ illustrating sporting events and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Shortly after his move to Paris in 1926, Calder created his ‘Cirque Calder’ (1926–31), a complex and unique body of art. It wasn’t long before his performances of the ‘Cirque’ captured the attention of the Parisian avant-garde.
