COLOURFUL MOBILES MADE FROM BOLDLY PAINTED SHEET METAL AND STEEL WIRES WILL HANG ABOVE VISITOR'S HEADS THIS SUMMER AS THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART DISPLAYS AN EXHIBIT OF 60 WORKS BY RENOWNED ARTIST ALEXANDER CALDER. BUT THIS CALDER SHOW, WHICH DEBUTS SATURDAY, DOESN'T ONLY FEATURE THE ARTIST'S ABSTRACT PIECES IN THE MUSEUM'S LARGE, WHITE MAIN-FLOOR GALLERY. IN AN EQUALLY LARGE GALLERY ACROSS THE WAY, DOZENS OF WORKS BY YOUNG ARTISTS WHO HAVE A CLADERESQUE STYLE ARE ON VIEW. THE IDEA OF JUXTAPOSING CALDER'S WORKS ALONGSIDE THOSE FROM A YOUNGER GENERATION CAME FROM MUSEUM CURATOR LYNNE WARREN. WARREN SOUGHT OUT SPECIFIC ARTISTS WHO WERE LOOKING TO CALDER. HER AIM WAS TO ACCESS HIS INFLUENCE ON CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS. CALDER WAS REVOLUTIONARY IN HIS DEVELOPMENT AS A SCULPTOR, MAKING MOVABLE PARTS IN HIS WORKS AND CREATING WHAT HAS BECOME KNOWN AS A THE MOBILE. THE EXHIBIT, 'ALEXANDER CALDER AND CONTEMPORARY ART: FORM, BALANCE, JOY', REMAINS IN CHICAGO THROUGH 17.OCTOBER BEFORE IT TRAVELS TO MUSEUMS IN CALIFORNIA, NORTH CAROLINA AND TEXAS. IT CONTAINS FIVE CALDER PIECES FROM THE MCA'S COLLECTION, ALONG WITH CALDER WORKS ON LOAN FROM MORE THAN A DOZEN INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY. THERE ARE MORE THAN 30 WORKS FROM THE YOUNG ARTISTS, WHO RANGE IN AGE FROM 36 TO 43. THEIR WORKS ECHO CALDER'S COLOUR, PLAYFULNESS, ENGINEERING AND MOBILITY. CALDER, WHO DIED IN 1976 AT THE AGE OF 78, FIRST TOOK ART CLASSES IN NEW YORK BEFORE TRAVELING IN THE 1920s TO FRANCE, WHERE HE DEBUTED HIS SIGNATURE MOBILE. IN 1933, HE MOVED TO A CONNECTICUT FARM AND HE CONTINUED TO WORK UNTIL HIS DEATH. IN THE CHICAGO EXHIBITION, HIS MOBILES HANG SILENTLY FROM THE GALLERY CEILING, MOVING SLIGHTLY BACK AND FORTH WITH THE ROOM'S AIR CURRENTS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.mcachicago.org
No comments:
Post a Comment