Calder: at home, among friends

During a prolific career of nearly six decades, from early wire portraits to groundbreaking mobiles to later monumental public sculptures, Calder’s artwork epitomized the optimistic spirit of modern America. His rigorous inventiveness was a state of mind and way of being in the world that contained equal parts dynamism and precision. That innovative spirit was echoed in his own home through the ingenious household objects and jewelry that he made throughout his life.

Drawing on the Museum collection, Calder: at home, among friends celebrates this art historical giant through his intimate objects and gestures, created abundantly and bestowed generously. These smaller works were just as vital to him as monumental public works, though they were often intended for personal use or close friends or relatives. The long-term installation features such works as Big Red (1957), a mobile which Calder gave to his sister to hang in her home while she recovered from an operation; unique jewelry pieces such as a “JG” brooch for Janet Gray Hayes, the artist’s niece and former mayor of San José; and a gouache that Calder gifted to the artist Louise Nevelson. A consummate innovator, Calder’s small-scale objects in this installation speak to a more intimate side of the artist, as he existed at home and among friends.

Alexander Calder. Big Red, 1957. Sheet metal, wire, and paint, 60 x 48 x 48 in. Collection of San José Museum of Art. Gift of Kenneth and Janet Gray Hayes in memory of Margaret Calder Hayes, in honor of the San José Museum of Art’s 35th anniversary, 2005.22. © 2024 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS). Courtesy of San José Museum of Art. Photo by Douglas Sandberg.