White Loops and Red Spiral

1959

White Loops and Red Spiral, 1959. Alexander Calder (American, 1898–1976). Painted steel and aluminum; overall: 77.5 cm (30 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Halle Bros. Co. 1961.195.a © Estate of Alexander Calder / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Alexander Calder’s training as a mechanical engineer reinforced his lifelong interest in moving objects and inspired him to invent the mobile, a new type of sculpture that ranks among the most innovative discoveries in modern art. Calder's mobiles are often suspended from the ceiling, but here the mobile hangs on top of a black support structure. Both the spiral and irregular loops of the mobile are recurring forms in Calder's sculptural work.