The history of mobiles in art goes back to the end of the 19th century, with the first kinetic sculptures by Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner. However, it was with the arrival of Alexander Calder on the art scene in the 1920s that mobiles really began to take off.
Alexander Calder was an American artist who became known for his mobile sculptures, which consisted of abstract metal forms suspended from wires. Calder invented the decorative mobile in 1931, after attending an exhibition of Piet Mondrian, where he was struck by the pure colors and shapes of his abstract compositions.
Calder’s mobiles were influenced by Marcel Duchamp’s and Jean Arp’s theories of movement and perception of space, as well as experiments conducted by Russian Constructivist artists. Calder created his first mobiles using simple materials such as wire and cut-out metal plates, which he then assembled into abstract forms.
Calder’s mobiles quickly attracted the attention of the art world, and were exhibited in galleries and museums around the world. In 1943, the Museum of Modern Art in New York held a retrospective of his work, which helped bring the artist and his mobiles to the attention of the general public.
Calder’s mobiles have inspired many contemporary artists, and have been used in many different contexts, from public art to interior design. Today, mobiles are often considered a decorative art form, and are appreciated for their elegance and graceful movement.
In conclusion, Alexander Calder’s invention of the decorative mobile revolutionized modern art, introducing a new form of kinetic sculpture that has inspired many artists. Calder’s mobiles have been widely exhibited and admired, and have helped popularize this decorative art form among the general public.
