Feb 16 - June 17, 2012
Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy
Alexander Calder, Four Boomerangs, c. 1949. Painted sheet metal and steel wire, 39 x 63 inches diameter. Collection Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Gift of Ruth Horwich (1991.92). © 2012 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.
The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University presents an exhibition that provides a fresh perspective on modern sculptor Alexander Calder (1898-1976) and his influence on a new generation of artists.
Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art pairs 32 master works by Calder with works by seven young artists: Martin Boyce, Nathan Carter, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Aaron Curry, Kristi Lippire, Jason Meadows and Jason Middlebrook. The Nasher Museum is the fourth and final venue for the exhibition, which will be on view from February 16 to June 17, 2012.
Visitors know and love Calder as the inventor of the mobile, and for his legacy as a modern sculptor. This is the first exhibition to explore Calder’s influence on an exciting new generation of artists. Visitors will have a rare chance to see their work side by side with that of Calder, to compare the creative use of materials to define space and explore form, balance, color and movement.
Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art will fill two galleries and the museum’s Great Hall. A third pavilion features the installation, Angels, Devils and the Electric Slide: Outsider Art from the Permanent Collection, and includes work by artists who, like Calder, share the practice of incorporating found objects and unusual materials in their work. Outsider Art is on view through July 8, 2012.
Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. The exhibition is sponsored by The Northern Trust Company. Lead foundation support is provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Chicago Community Trust. Major support for the exhibition is generously provided by The Kenneth and Anne Griffin Foundation. Additional generous support is provided by Margot and George Greig, Anne and Burt Kaplan, Ruth Horwich, The Broad Art Foundation, Gagosian Gallery, Lindy Bergman, Helyn Goldenberg, Sara Szold, and The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.
Reproduction, including downloading of Alexander Calder works, is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Additional support is provided by Carolina Biological Supply Company, Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, The Research Triangle Park, Parker and Otis, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Clinical Ambassador, American Scientist magazine, and Tech Shop.