Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Alexander Calder

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.calder71
Creators:
Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976
Cummings, Paul
Dates:
1971 October 26
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
27 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Interview of Alexander Calder conducted 1971 October 26, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Calder speaks of his studies in engineering at the Stevens Institute; his instructors at the Art Students League including George Luks, Boardman Robinson, and John Sloan; working in Paris; performances of his CIRCUS; artists in Paris in the late 1920s; his materials; his use of color and water; motorized sculpture; commissions; and his interest in works by Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp, and Alberto Giacometti.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was a sculptor from New York, New York.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript available on line.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 1 hr., 3 min.
General
This transcript has been corrected and edited at the Calder Foundation by Alexander S.C. Rower.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculpture -- Technique Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Luks, George Benjamin, 1867-1933 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Robinson, Boardman, 1876-1952 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sloan, John, 1871-1951 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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