Alexander Calder at the Whitney

I don’t remember when or how I was introduced to Alexander Calder’s work. He just seems to have always been in my life. I remember being a Girl Scout (maybe even a wee Brownie) and when we made mobiles during craft time, Calder was an example we worked against.

As a young teenager, if you’d have asked me who was my favorite “modern” artist I would have said Calder. Partially, because I really loved his work, and mostly because he was probably the only “modern” artist I knew other than say Picasso.

This week the Whitney in New York is opening an exhibition of Alexander Calder’s work. Of course, I’d love to go. It wasn’t until my early 20’s when I got to experience his Circus-which is part of the Whitney’s permanent collection. And frankly, it’s my favorite. The show is focused on his years in Paris, from the ages of 27 to 34, when he created his first wire drawings in space, created the Circus, and invented his signature mobiles.

Of course, I’m going to find a way to go. The show runs through the middle of February.

For more info on the show, go to http://www.whitney.org/
While you’re there, make sure to check out the ‘Signs of the Time’ photography exhibition in the Sondra Gilman Gallery. It features pieces from the museums permanent collection, including some awesome work by Sam Durant, Gordon Parks, James Casebere, Zoe Leonard, Katy Grannan, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Sam Samore and Sara VanDerBeek, among others.