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.b © 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. Highly prolific, Calder produced more than 16,000 works, an average of one a day for nearly 45 years.