San José Museum of Art

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Calder: at home, among friends

  • Against a black background is a baby brass rattler. It looks to be constructed from a single piece of brass wire, which is looped around itself to make a handle. Extending from it is a circle made of small circles that each have a bell looped through them.


    Alexander Calder. Baby rattle with bells, c. 1920. Brass wire and bells, 9 ¼ x 4 ½ x ½ inches. Collection of San José Museum of Art. Gift of Megan L. Hayes and Reed Zars in Memory of Margaret Calder Hayes and Kenneth and Janet Gray Hayes, 2022.16.06. © 2024 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Johnna Arnold, Impart Photography. 

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    During a prolific career of nearly six decades, from early wire portraits to groundbreaking mobiles to later monumental public sculptures, Calder’s artwork epitomized the optimistic spirit of modern America. His rigorous inventiveness was a state of mind and way of being in the world that contained equal parts dynamism and precision. That innovative spirit was echoed in his own home through the ingenious household objects and jewelry that he made throughout his life.

    Drawing on the Museum collection, Calder: at home, among friends celebrates this art historical giant through his intimate objects and gestures, created abundantly and bestowed generously. These smaller works were just as vital to him as monumental public works, though they were often intended for personal use or close friends or relatives. The long-term installation features such works as Big Red (1957), a mobile which Calder gave to his sister to hang in her home while she recovered from an operation; unique jewelry pieces such as a “JG” brooch for Janet Gray Hayes, the artist’s niece and former mayor of San José; and a gouache that Calder gifted to the artist Louise Nevelson. A consummate innovator, Calder’s small-scale objects in this installation speak to a more intimate side of the artist, as he existed at home and among friends.

    Support

    Calder: at home, among friends is made possible by the SJMA Exhibitions Fund, with major support from Doris and Alan Burgess, Elaine Cardinale, and Rick and Evelyn Neely; and additional support from the Farrington Historical Foundation.

    Operations and programs at the San José Museum of Art are made possible by principal support from SJMA’s Board of Trustees, a Cultural Affairs Grant from the City of San José, and the Lipman Family Foundation; by lead support from the Adobe Foundation, the California Arts Council, Toby and Barry Fernald, Brook Hartzell and Tad Freese, the Richard A. Karp Charitable Foundation, Tammy and Tom Kiely, the Knight Foundation, Evelyn and Rick Neely, Yvonne and Mike Nevens, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Skyline Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the SJMA Director's Council and Council of 100; and with significant endowment support from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and the San José Museum of Art Endowment Fund established by the Knight Foundation at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

    Press

    San José Museum of Art Presents Calder: at home, among friends, Picture this Post 
    July 16, 2024

    Fall Arts Guide: Culture-Forward Things to Do in Silicon Valley, Metro Silicon Valley 
    August 28, 2024

    Your Guide to Visual Art in the Bay Area This Fall, KQED 
    August 29, 2024 

    Fall 2024: Midcentury modernism lives on at Eames Archives — plus 13 other art shows to catch, SF Chronicle Datebook 
    September 4, 2024

    San Jose Museum of Art explores Alexander Calder with two new exhibits, Mercury News 
    September 6, 2024

    Motion in Art: Alexander Calder’s Art and Legacy Showcased, Metro Silicon Valley 
    September 11, 2024 

    In San José, Calder’s Twists on Everyday Objects Continue to Inspire, KQED 
    September 12, 2024

     

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    Still in Motion celebrates the unfolding legacy of Alexander Calder through the work of Calder Prize awardees, whose groundbreaking contributions push the limits of sculpture to propel it into the twenty-first century.