Biography of Alexander Calder Childhood. What Alexander Calder Understood About Joy . Trained as an engineer, then as an artist, Calder spent time in Paris where he was influenced by Mondrian and Joan Miro. James Alexander Calder was born on September 17, 1868 and died on July 20, 1956. ... MoMA presented Alexander Calder: Sculptures and Constructions, a career survey of the artist’s work which made him the youngest artist at that point to have been given a retrospective. Three films were made of Calder's Circus performances, but the work's significance is that it is one of the earliest modern works in which the artist is equally involved as both a "maker" and a performer. Calder's Circus exemplified the playful wit that infused much of Calder's subsequent work. If alexander calder were alive to visit the kids’ department of Pottery Barn or West Elm today, he would probably feel deeply torn, which tells you a lot about America’s best-known sculptor. Alexander Calder (1898-1976) One of the most famous abstract sculptors from America, Alexander Calder, is best known for his kinetic art - for making sculptures move. 10 things to know about Alexander Calder . Alexander Calder, known as Sandy, was born into a long line of sculptors, being part of the fourth generation to take up the art form. James Alexander Calder would have been 87 years old at the time of death or 146 years old today. Calder’s fascination with the circus began in 1925 when he spent two weeks sketching at the… Alexander Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor who is best known for his innovative mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic and his monumental public sculptures. Constructing objects from a very young age, his first known art tool was a pair of pliers. But one of his lesser known, but equally incredible creations is the Cirque Calder - a miniature circus of wire figures and creatures created by the artist in Paris between 1926 and 1931. Iconic American artist Alexander Calder is perhaps best known for his delicate, surreal mobile pieces, comprised of colored shapes, found objects and balanced spheres. America’s greatest sculptor gave objects a playful life of their own. Sculptor Alexander Calder, best known for his mobiles and innovative wire structures, was born on July 22, 1898 in Pennsylvania.Although his mother was an accomplished painter and his father an accomplished sculptor, the younger Calder began his career as an engineer. Alexander Calder is an artist best known for his amazing mobiles.