Alexander Calder

In 1931, Alexander Calder, an influential figure of kinetic art, developed his first “mobile” or kinetic sculpture.  As demonstrated in Four at Forty-Five Degrees, Calder’s sculptures articulate space rather than mass, and define volume with open, wiry structures that gently move in air. Triangles and Arches represents Calder’s later work of the 1960s created from large sheets of steel that recall architectural and environmental themes. A focal point of the Empire State Plaza, the triangular forms of Triangles and Arches mirror the Gothic spires of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception located southeast of the Plaza.

Title: Four at Forty-Five Degrees
Date: 1966
Medium: polychromed sheet metal
Dimensions: 60 x 216 x 60 inches
Accession Number: P68.4.2 
Location: On Loan to the New York State Museum

Title: Triangles and Arches
Date: 1965
Medium: painted steel
Dimensions: 204 x 336 x 240 inches
Accession Number: P66.1.12 
Location: Outdoor Plaza

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