American Masters (1985–…): Season 12, Episode 6 - Alexander Calder - full transcript

UP UNTIL SANDY CALDER'S TIME,

SCULPTURE WAS AN EXPRESSION
OF SOLIDITY,

OF MOTIONLESSNESS.

IT TURNS OUT THAT
SOMETHING ELSE WAS POSSIBLE.

THE FLIGHT OF A BIRD
WAS POSSIBLE,

OR THE SEEMING FLIGHT
OF THE BIRD.

AND IT SAYS WE ARE OURSELVES
THEN MORE THAN EARTHBOUND.

IT SHATTERS THE ILLUSION

OF EVERYTHING
THAT SCULPTURE EVER WAS.

IT IS UNLIKE ANY BODY OF WORK
CREATED THIS CENTURY.

HE CHANGED THE NATURE
OF SCULPTURE.



HE REDEFINED WHAT SCULPTURE WAS,
COULD POSSIBLY BE, AND NOW IS.

Narrator:
ON THE DAY OF HIS BIRTH,

JULY 22, 1898,

ALEXANDER CALDER
ALREADY HAD ART IN HIS BLOOD.

HIS MOTHER WAS A PAINTER.

HIS FATHER
AND HIS GRANDFATHER

WERE BOTH FAMOUS
AMERICAN SCULPTORS.

THEIR SCOTTISH FOREFATHERS,
FOR GENERATIONS,

HAD BEEN STONE MASONS.

BUT NOTHING IN ANY OF THEIR WORK
FORETOLD THE DARING,

THE EXUBERANCE, THE WACKINESS,
THE SHEER BEAUTY OF THE THINGS

THAT THIS BOY
WOULD GROW UP TO MAKE.

SANDY CALDER GREW UP
IMMERSED IN ART,

MODELING FOR HIS PARENTS,
MAKING HIS OWN TOYS.



Woman: THIS WAS A HOUSEHOLD

WHERE ART WAS THE SORT OF
DAILY PARLANCE OF LIVING.

CALDER, AS A CHILD,
HAD A STUDIO.

I MEAN, HE HAD
HIS OWN LITTLE WORKSHOP.

SO THERE WAS ALREADY
THIS COMFORT LEVEL WITH TOOLS

AND WITH MATERIALS
AND WITH MAKING THINGS.

AND HIS SISTER TALKS
ABOUT WATCHING HIM

MAKE A DOG AND A DUCK
WHEN HE WAS A YOUNGSTER.

AND SHE SAID HE CUT OUT
THE ELEMENTS

AND THEY WERE FLATTENED
LIKE A PELT,

BUT THEN HE MADE
THAT CONCEPTUAL LEAP

FROM TWO DIMENSIONS TO THREE,

AND HE TOOK THESE SMALL PIECES
OF METAL AND WITH RELATIVE EASE

CONFIGURED THEM
INTO TWO LITTLE ANIMALS.

Narrator: YEARS LATER,
CALDER REMEMBERED

ONE OF HIS EARLY EXPERIMENTS.

"I MADE AN ELECTRIC LIGHT PLUG

"OUT OF A CORK, A NAIL,
AND A PIECE OF COPPER WIRE.

"BUT AFTER DRAWING AN ENORMOUS
SPARK FROM THIS APPARATUS,

I QUIT BOTHERING ELECTRICITY."

DESPITE HIS BACKGROUND,

HE WAS FAR FROM EAGER
FOR A CAREER IN ART.

"MY FATHER SAID,
'WHAT DO YOU WANT TO STUDY?'

"AND HERE I WAS
A BIT NONPLUSED.

"BUT A FELLOW AT LOWELL HIGH
SCHOOL TOLD ME

"HE WAS GOING TO BE
A MECHANICAL ENGINEER.

"I WAS NOT VERY SURE
WHAT THIS TERM MEANT,

BUT I THOUGHT I'D BETTER
ADOPT IT."

AT THE STEVENS
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

IN HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY,

SANDY CALDER'S FAVORITE SUBJECTS
WERE SPORTS AND GIRLS,

BUT HE ALSO MANAGED TO LEARN
SOME SERIOUS SCIENCE

THAT ONE DAY
WOULD SERVE HIM WELL...

MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS,
KINETICS,

AND THE NATURE
OF INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS.

HE DID NOT MAKE
MUCH OF AN ENGINEER.

IN HIS FIRST JOB HE LASTED
ALL OF TWO WEEKS.

HE GREW AN UNFORTUNATE MOUSTACHE

AND WAS FIRED FOR LOAFING
AT A WINDOW SASH FACTORY.

AS AN INSURANCE DETECTIVE,

HE DISLIKED
THE OFFICE LIGHTING, AND QUIT.

TRYING TO SELL A SORT OF EARLY
ROTOTILLER IN WEST VIRGINIA,

HE MOWED DOWN
A PERFECT ROW OF CUCUMBERS.

WORKING ON A FREIGHTER
OFF GUATEMALA,

CALDER WOKE UP ON DECK
ONE MORNING

TO A LIFE-DEFINING EXPERIENCE.

FORTY YEARS LATER,
HE RECALLED THE MOMENT.

"I SAW THE BEGINNING OF
A FIERY RED SUNRISE ON ONE SIDE

"AND THE MOON LOOKING LIKE
A SILVER COIN ON THE OTHER.

"OF THE WHOLE TRIP
THIS IMPRESSED ME MOST OF ALL.

IT LEFT ME WITH A LASTING
SENSATION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM."

FINALLY HE COULD NO LONGER
RESIST HIS CALLING.

IN 1923, NOW 25 YEARS OLD,

CALDER ENTERED THE ART
STUDENTS LEAGUE IN NEW YORK.

HE PAINTED, HE DREW,
HE TINKERED.

WITH NO CLOCK IN HIS
MEAGER ROOM ON 14th STREET,

CALDER FASHIONED A WIRE ROOSTER
MOUNTED ON A ROD

WITH RADIATING LINES AT THE FOOT
TO INDICATE THE HOURS...

A SUNDIAL.

HE SKETCHED HIS FELLOW
STRAP-HANGERS ON THE SUBWAY.

HE LOVED PAINTING
THE STREETSCAPES, THE HARBOR,

THE CITY PARKS.

HE MADE HIS FIRST SMALL FEES
AS AN ARTIST

DRAWING SCENES OF NEW YORK

FOR THE RACY
NATIONAL POLICE GAZETTE.

THE GAZETTE SENT CALDER
TO THE CIRCUS,

AND HE WAS ENTRANCED.

FOR TWO WEEKS, DAY AND NIGHT,

HE DREW AND DREW AND DREW.

IN 1926, CALDER SET SAIL

FOR THE CENTER
OF THE WORLD OF ART,

THE WORLD OF PABLO PICASSO,
ERNEST HEMINGWAY,

GERTRUDE STEIN,
JEAN COCTEAU, PIET MONDRIAN...

THE BIRTHPLACE
OF MODERNISM... PARIS.

Gill: IT WAS THE PLACE TO BE
IN THE 1920s.

VIRGIL THOMPSON WAS THERE.
F. SCOTT FITZGERALD WAS THERE.

ANYBODY WHO WAS ENGAGED
IN THE ARTS

WAS VERY LIKELY
TO TURN UP IN PARIS,

AND TO BE ABLE TO LIVE QUITE
WELL AND HAVE A GOOD TIME,

AND TO JOIN OTHER PEOPLE
IN THE SAME MILIEU.

THEY WERE BREAKING NEW GROUND,
OR TRYING TO DO SO.

AND CERTAINLY SANDY
WAS BREAKING NEW GROUND

MORE THAN ANYBODY,
AS IT SUBSEQUENTLY TURNED OUT.

Man: HE DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO.

HE WAS DOING ILLUSTRATION.

HE MADE SOME POSTERS,

WHATEVER HE COULD GET,
BASICALLY.

AND HE WAS TRULY
FOR THE FIRST TIME

SO MUCH ON HIS OWN, YOU KNOW,
SO MUCH UNDER HIS OWN STEAM,

THAT I THINK IT REALLY
ALLOWED HIM TO EXPERIMENT.

Narrator: IN A TINY RENTED ROOM,

SUBSISTING ON A MONTHLY STIPEND
FROM HIS PARENTS,

CALDER STILL REVELED IN
HIS FAVORITE CHILDHOOD PASTIME,

TINKERING WITH WIRE AND WOOD.

THE RESULTS WERE PLAYFUL,
EVEN TOY-LIKE,

BUT THIS WAS DEEPLY SERIOUS
CHILD'S PLAY.

Man: WIRE ALLOWS HIM
TO SORT OF DRAW WITH METAL.

MANY OF THEM ARE MADE OF
A SIMPLE SINGLE STRAND OF WIRE.

IT'S LIKE ONE OF THOSE

SPARKLERS THAT YOU DO
IN THE AIR LIKE THIS,

AND YOU MAKE A DRAWING
IN THE AIR.

AND IT'S
EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED,

AND THEN IT'S GONE.

Narrator: ON THE LEFT BANK,
THE CABARET PERFORMER

JOSEPHINE BAKER WAS DRAWING
CROWDS OF FEVERISH DEVOTEES.

ONE OF THEM
WAS ALEXANDER CALDER.

HE COULD CREATE
A LIVING LIKENESS

WITH A SINGLE PIECE OF WIRE.

OVER THE COURSE OF FOUR YEARS,

HE MADE A SERIES
OF JOSEPHINE BAKERS.

Prather: JOSEPHINE BAKER
WAS A DANCER WHO ATTRACTED HIM,

AND I THINK IT WAS
THE KINETICISM OF HER,

OF HER BODY,

OF THE WONDERFUL GYRATING,

WRITHING MOVEMENTS
THAT SHE MADE,

AND FOR WHICH SHE WAS
SO JUSTIFIABLY FAMOUS,

AND CLEARLY THIS SOMEHOW
CAPTURED CALDER'S IMAGINATION.

Narrator: HE WAS NEVER WITHOUT
A ROLL OF WIRE

AND A PAIR OF PLIERS
IN HIS POCKET.

WHEN HE WENT TO A PARTY,

HE WOULD MAKE A WIRE PORTRAIT

OF EVERY PERSON THERE,
AS A GIFT.

Man: THE WIRE PORTRAIT'S
AN AMAZING INVENTION,

AN AMAZING IDEA.

AND THESE WERE MUCH MORE
THAN CARICATURES.

THESE WERE NOT JUST,
YOU KNOW, CARTOONS.

IT WAS A KIND OF
COMPLEX PORTRAITURE

WHICH BROUGHT
THE QUALITY OF SOMEBODY

INTO THE ROUND,

INTO A THREE-DIMENSIONAL FORMAT
FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Narrator: CALDER'S WORK WAS
NOT ONLY LIKE TOYS,

SOMETIMES IT WAS TOYS.

ON COMMISSION FOR A COMPANY
IN OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN,

HE MADE A ROWBOAT,
A KANGAROO, A BUCKING COW,

A WIRE BIRD STRUGGLING TO YANK
A WIRE WORM OUT OF THE GROUND.

STILL FASCINATED BY THE BIG TOP,

CALDER CONSTRUCTED
DOZENS OF ANIMALS, ACROBATS,

AND MECHANICAL DEVICES,

UNTIL HE HAD AN ENTIRE
MINIATURE CIRCUS.

HE WOULD PERFORM THE WHOLE THING
HIMSELF, IN HIS APARTMENT,

CHARGING AROUND THE ROOM
BLOWING WHISTLES,

MAKING ANIMAL SOUNDS,

OPERATING A DOZEN
CONTRAPTIONS AT ONCE,

WHILE HIS FRIENDS
SMOKED AND DRANK

AND LAUGHED THEMSELVES SILLY.

BEFORE LONG,
THESE UPROARIOUS EVENINGS

BECAME THE HOT NIGHT OUT
IN PARIS.

COCTEAU AND MONDRIAN CAME.

JOAN MIRO, FERNAND LEGER,
MAN RAY, JEAN ARP,

ALL CAME TO CALDER'S CIRCUS.

HE WOULD GO ON PERFORMING IT

FROM TIME TO TIME

FOR DECADES TO COME.

MESDAMES, MESSIEURS,
NOUS PRESENT LE CIRQUE.

ART THOU READY?

I AM READY.

Stevens: I THINK HIS CIRCUS
AND THE TOYS

AND THE ANIMALS
ARE AMONG HIS BEST WORK.

THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY
WITHOUT PRETENTION,

WITHOUT THAT KIND OF SWEAT

THAT SOMETIMES COMES INTO ART
WHEN THE ARTIST IS TRYING TO BE

BIG AND IMPORTANT AND AMBITIOUS.

THE CIRCUS, YOU KNOW,

WAS A GREAT SYMBOL
FOR MANY ARTISTS.

BUT MANY ARTISTS
ALSO SAW IN THE CIRCUS

A KIND OF DARK
EXPRESSIONIST NOTE.

THE CIRCUS WAS A PLACE OF MASKS
AND OF UNCONSCIOUS DESIRES.

CALDER ACTUALLY LIKED THE CIRCUS
FOR BEING A CIRCUS.

Man: WELL, THE CIRCUS,
HE WAS IN HIS ELEMENT.

SEE, HE WAS A BIG KID,
BIG CHILD.

HE WOULD HUFF AND PUFF AND RUN
AROUND ALL OVER THE PLACE,

MAKING THE THINGS WORK.

AND HIS GREAT PLEASURE

WAS WHEN THE KIDS EXCLAIMED
WITH SURPRISE.

THAT PLEASED SANDY ENORMOUSLY.

IT MEANT, REALLY,
THAT EVERYBODY WAS BELIEVING IT.

Narrator: IN THE FALL OF 1927,

CALDER CRUSHED HIS WHOLE CIRCUS
INTO TWO SUITCASES

AND TOOK IT TO NEW YORK.

HE COULD REMAKE A PIECE
IN MINUTES.

ONE LOOK WAS ENOUGH TO PERSUADE
THE ART DEALER, CARL ZIGROSSER,

TO OFFER CALDER
A SOLO EXHIBITION, HIS FIRST.

"WE PRICED THESE THINGS
AT $10 AND $20,"

CALDER LATER RECALLED.

"TWO OR THREE WERE SOLD."

IN GREENWICH VILLAGE HE RENTED

A BIZARRE TRIANGULAR ROOM
LINED WITH GOLD LEAF,

AND TOOK UP WOODCARVING.

HE WOULD RETURN TO PARIS
FOR A WHILE,

THEN BACK TO NEW YORK,

CROSSING THE ATLANTIC
REGULARLY.

NOT ONLY WAS CALDER'S
CREATIVITY BLOOMING,

SO WAS HIS ECCENTRICITY.

YEARS LATER, HE REMINISCED
ABOUT THE '20s IN PARIS.

"I HAD AN ORANGE BICYCLE

"WITH WHICH I USED TO RUN AROUND
THE QUATORZIEME ARRONDISSEMENT.

"I WORE GRAY KNICKERBOCKERS
AND RED SOCKS.

"AT ONE POINT I HAD A COLD

"AND HELD A PIECE OF CAMPHOR
UNDER MY NOSE

WITH A WIRE THAT LOOPED
AND WENT AROUND MY EARS."

AS A CHILD,

NOBODY EVER SAID, "NO, NO,
YOU CAN'T DO THAT."

HE DID ANYTHING
HE WANTED TO DO,

AND HE DID IT FROM THE VERY
EARLIEST CHILDHOOD ON.

AND HE NEVER CHANGED.

HE WAS ALWAYS A CHILD...

AND A VERY HAPPY CHILD.

Narrator:
A ONE-MAN SHOW IN PARIS

WAS RATHER HARDER TO GET
THAN IN NEW YORK.

FINALLY A DEALER NAMED VORMS,

WHOM CALDER WOULD FOREVER
CALL MONSIEUR WORMS,

OFFERED HIS GALLERY,

AS LONG AS THE ARTIST
WOULD PAY FOR THE PRIVILEGE.

THE SHOW WAS
A MODEST SUCCESS...

ENOUGH, AT LEAST, FOR CALDER
TO EARN BACK THE BRIBE.

AFTER HIS SECOND
EUROPEAN EXHIBITION, IN BERLIN,

ART CRITICS BEGAN AS LAST
TO TAKE CALDER'S WORK SERIOUSLY.

"THE FIGURES ARE AMAZING,"
WROTE ONE REVIEWER.

"IN THESE WORKS OF ART ALL
ARTISTIC RULES ARE SUSPENDED."

ABOARD SHIP ONCE MORE IN 1929,
CALDER MET LOUISA JAMES,

GRANDNIECE OF THE PHILOSOPHER
WILLIAM JAMES

AND THE NOVELIST HENRY JAMES.

THEY FELL DEEPLY IN LOVE.

AT HIS SECOND NEW YORK SHOW,
HARDLY A YEAR SINCE THE FIRST,

THE GALLERY
WAS PRACTICALLY OVERFLOWING

WITH WIRE SCULPTURES,
WOODCARVINGS,

PAINTINGS, TOYS, AND JEWELRY.

WHAT WOULD PROVE
MOST SIGNIFICANT,

HE HAD BEGUN TO CREATE

FREESTANDING
MECHANICAL SCULPTURE.

AS HIS REPUTATION GREW,

THE NEWLY FOUNDED HARVARD
SOCIETY OF CONTEMPORARY ART

INVITED HIM TO SHOW
HIS WIRE SCULPTURE.

Ross: THEY WERE VERY EXCITED

THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO
A SHOW WITH CALDER.

AND THEY PICK HIM UP
AT THE TRAIN,

AND HE DOESN'T HAVE
ANY ART WITH HIM,

AND THEY'RE FLABBERGASTED.

THEY'D SCRAPED TOGETHER MONEY

TO BRING HIM UP TO CAMBRIDGE
TO HAVE THIS SHOW.

AND THEY SAID,
"SANDY, WHAT'S GOING ON?

WHERE'S THE ART?"

AND HE REACHES INTO
THE POCKET OF HIS OVERCOAT.

HE PULLS OUT A ROLL,
A SPOOL OF WIRE,

AND HE SAYS, "HERE IT IS."

AND HE GOES OFF
TO THE GALLERY WITH THEM,

AND HE CREATES THE SHOW
ON THE SPOT.

Narrator: IN THE FALL OF 1930,
BACK IN PARIS AGAIN,

CALDER VISITED THE STUDIO
OF PIET MONDRIAN.

"IT WAS A VERY EXCITING ROOM,"
CALDER LATER RECALLED.

"THE WALL WAS COVERED WITH
COLORED CARDBOARD RECTANGLES.

"I SUGGESTED TO MONDRIAN
THAT PERHAPS IT WOULD BE FUN

"TO MAKE
THOSE RECTANGLES OSCILLATE.

"AND HE, WITH
A VERY SERIOUS COUNTENANCE SAID,

"'NO, IT IS NOT NECESSARY.

"MY PAINTING
IS ALREADY VERY FAST.'

THIS ONE VISIT GAVE ME A SHOCK
THAT STARTED THINGS."

Prather: THE VISIT
TO MONDRIAN'S STUDIO

IN A WAY WAS A KIND OF
DRAMATIC CATALYST.

THE IDEA OF MOVEMENT
WAS IN CALDER'S MIND.

IT WAS THIS KIND OF MARRIAGE
OF ABSTRACTION AND MOVEMENT

THAT SOMEHOW MONDRIAN SEEMED
TO PROVIDE THE STIMULUS FOR.

AFTER THE VISIT TO MONDRIAN,

HE GOES BACK TO THE STUDIO

AND HAS SOME IDEAS AND BEGINS
TO WORK THEM OUT ON CANVAS.

BUT THEN VERY SOON AFTER THAT,

I THINK, HE PROBABLY BECAME
FRUSTRATED WITH THE PAINTING,

AND HE FELT SOMEHOW A NEED
TO GET BACK TO SCULPTURE.

AND SO WITHIN TWO WEEKS
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE DID,

AND HE STARTED MAKING ABSTRACT
SCULPTURE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Narrator: THIS WAS A TIME
OF GREAT DISCOVERY...

THE PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN
PLANET PLUTO,

EINSTEIN'S THEORY
OF RELATIVITY,

A WHOLE NEW PARADIGM
OF THE COSMOS.

TYPICALLY, CALDER BOTH MADE USE
OF THE NEW COSMOLOGY

AND MADE LIGHT OF IT SAYING,

"THE UNDERLYING SENSE OF FORM
IN MY WORK

"HAS BEEN THE SYSTEM
OF THE UNIVERSE,

A RATHER LARGE MODEL
TO WORK FROM."

EINSTEIN HIMSELF
CAME TO A CALDER SHOW,

AND HE STOOD TRANSFIXED
FOR 40 MINUTES

THROUGH AN ENTIRE MOVEMENT CYCLE
OF A PIECE CALLED A UNIVERSE.

Prather: CALDER'S
FIRST ABSTRACT SCULPTURES,

KINETIC SCULPTURES,
WERE MOTORIZED SCULPTURES.

AND I THINK
HE FOUND THEM DISTRACTING.

THERE IS A GREAT DEAL
OF REPETITION.

THEY BROKE DOWN,
ONE HAD TO REPAIR THEM.

HE SAID AT ONE POINT,

"BETTER A GOOD SCULPTURE
THAN A GOOD MOTOR."

AND ONE HAS TO REMEMBER
THAT THE WHOLE IDEA OF CHANCE

WAS VERY MUCH IN THE AIR
IN PARIS.

AND HE EVENTUALLY CAME TO DESIRE

CHANCE AND CHANCE MOVEMENTS
IN THE SCULPTURES.

Narrator: WITH THE JOINING

OF PURE ABSTRACTION
AND RANDOM MOTION,

CALDER'S ART TOOK FLIGHT.

"WHAT SHALL I
CALL THESE THINGS?"

CALDER ASKED HIS FRIEND
MARCEL DUCHAMP.

DUCHAMP REPLIED, "MOBILE,"

A FRENCH PUN MEANING
BOTH "MOTION" AND "MOTIVE."

UNTIL ALEXANDER CALDER
INVENTED IT,

THE MOBILE HAD NEVER EXISTED.

TO JEAN-PAUL SARTRE,
THE MOBILE EMBODIED

AN ABSOLUTE PURITY
OF ABSTRACTION.

"A MOBILE IS A LITTLE
PRIVATE CELEBRATION," HE WROTE,

"AN OBJECT DEFINED
BY ITS MOVEMENT,

"AND HAVING NO OTHER EXISTENCE.

"A MOBILE DOES NOT SUGGEST
ANYTHING.

"IT CAPTURES GENUINE LIVING
MOVEMENTS AND SHAPES THEM.

"MOBILES HAVE NO MEANING.

"THEY MAKE YOU THINK
OF NOTHING BUT THEMSELVES.

THEY ARE... THAT IS ALL."

Miller: HE WAS TRYING
TO DO SOMETHING

THAT WAS QUITE UNUSUAL
AND MAYBE EVEN UNIQUE,

ALTHOUGH MIRO,
AS HE OFTEN SAID,

WAS HIS DIRECT INSPIRATION
FOR A LOT OF THESE SHAPES.

BUT THE IDEA OF A LIVING,
MOVING PIECE OF SCULPTURE

MADE OF WIRE AND SHEET METAL...

IT WAS NOT AN OLD IDEA.

HE ABSORBED INFORMATION
VERY QUICKLY,

IN A WAY THAT ARTISTS DO,

BECAUSE ARTISTS
CAN BE IN A ROOM,

THEY CAN SEE THINGS,
THEY CAN PICK IT UP,

AND IT CAN
COME INTO THEIR WORK

RIGHT AWAY
WITHOUT EVEN THINKING.

SO THAT YOU CAN LOOK
AT WHAT HE DOES,

AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW,
MIRO WILL COME TO MIND

AT A CERTAIN POINT,
OR PAUL KLEVE,

OR EVEN PICASSO,
BUT IT'S NOT AN ISSUE,

AND YOU DON'T REALLY
THINK ABOUT THEM.

IT ALWAYS SOMEHOW
REALLY REMAINS

SORT OF IMMEDIATELY
AND TOTALLY CALDER.

Narrator: ALEXANDER CALDER
AND LOUISA JAMES

WERE MARRIED IN 1931.

THEY DECIDED TO PUT DOWN
AMERICAN ROOTS

IN ROXBURY, CONNECTICUT,

IN A DILAPIDATED
18th-CENTURY FARMHOUSE

THAT CALDER PAINTED BLACK.

HE BOUGHT AN IMMENSE OLD
LaSALLE CONVERTIBLE,

WHICH HE WOULD DRIVE
FOR THE NEXT 17 YEARS.

SANDY AND LOUISA
HAD TWO DAUGHTERS,

AND THE FOUR OF THEM
TRAVELED OFTEN TO FRANCE.

Rower: IN 1937, HE MAKES
HIS FIRST OUTDOOR STABILE,

CALLED THE WHALE.

HE HAS THIS VISION OF MAKING
LARGE WORK FOR PUBLIC SPACES.

AND HE MADE A WHOLE SERIES
OF LITTLE MAQUETTES,

LITTLE MODELS, WHICH WERE
INTENDED TO BE ENLARGED,

HOPING THAT SOMEONE
WOULD COME ALONG AND SAY,

"GREAT, I WANT ONE
FOR MY GARDEN."

AND NO ONE DID.

Narrator: BUT THAT SAME YEAR,

HE GOT HIS FIRST IMPORTANT
PUBLIC COMMISSION.

FOR THE SPANISH PAVILION
AT THE PARIS WORLD'S FAIR,

CALDER CREATED A FOUNTAIN

IN WHICH NOT WATER
BUT MERCURY FLOWED.

MERCURY FOUNTAIN
WAS ALSO HIS FIRST

OVERTLY POLITICAL WORK,

A TRIBUTE
TO THE ANTI-FASCIST PARTISANS

OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR.

BY THE LATE 1930s,

CALDER WAS RENOWNED
THROUGHOUT THE ART WORLD.

AND IN 1943,
AT THE AGE OF 45,

HE BECAME THE FIRST MEMBER
OF HIS GENERATION

TO BE HONORED WITH A LIFE
RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION

AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
IN NEW YORK.

YET CALDER HIMSELF
RESOLUTELY REFUSED

EVEN TO CALL HIS WORK ART.

HE CALLED HIS PIECES "OBJECTS."

"THAT WAY," HE SAID,

"A GUY CAN'T COME ALONG AND SAY,
'NO, THESE AREN'T SCULPTURES.'

IT WASHES MY HANDS
OF HAVING TO DEFEND THEM."

Miller: HE WAS VERY UNWILLING
TO TALK ABOUT ART.

I NEVER HEARD HIM
REFER TO A CRITIC

OR ANYBODY'S OPINION
ABOUT HIMSELF.

I NEVER HEARD HIM
PRAISE STUFF, EITHER.

HE WAS ABSOLUTELY UNINTERESTED

IN TALKING ABOUT
THE WHOLE DAMN THING.

EITHER YOU DID IT
OR YOU DIDN'T DO IT.

YOU KNEW HOW TO DO IT OR YOU
DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT.

Woman: HE NEVER TALKED
ABOUT ART WITH ME.

FOR INSTANCE, I USED TO
DRAW ALL THE TIME.

AND I REMEMBER ONE DAY
I SHOWED SOMETHING

THAT I HAD JUST FINISHED
TO MY FATHER,

AND HE SAID,
"WELL, WHAT'S THAT?"

AND MY MOTHER GOT INDIGNANT
AND SHE SAID,

"ONE COULD ASK THAT
OF YOU, TOO."

Narrator: WITH CALDER'S
FAVORITE RAW MATERIAL, ALUMINUM,

RESERVED FOR THE WAR EFFORT,

HE TOOK TO CARVING WOOD

AND INCORPORATING SHARDS
OF GLASS IN HIS OBJECTS.

BY THEN, MUSIC, TOO,
ENTERED HIS WORK.

CALDER WOULD WORK
IN ANY MEDIUM...

PLASTER AND BRONZE,

HE CREATED RUGS,

AUBISSON TAPESTRIES
AND COMMERCIAL WALLPAPER.

HE DESIGNED STAGE SETS,

AND COLLABORATED WITH
THE CHOREOGRAPHER MARTHA GRAHAM.

HE ILLUSTRATED BOOKS.

HE MADE POSTERS AND PRINTS.

CALDER BEGAN EVERY DAY
PAINTING IN GOUACHE.

HE PARTICULARLY LOVED
TO MAKE JEWELRY

FOR LOUISA AND THEIR FRIENDS.

Prather: THESE WERE HANDS
THAT WERE NEVER AT REST.

AND WHEN HE WASN'T MAKING
SCULPTURE IN THE STUDIO,

HE WAS MAKING JEWELRY,

HE WAS MAKING TOYS
FOR HIS TWO DAUGHTERS.

AND THERE WAS
A NEED IN HIM, I THINK,

TO CONSTANTLY KEEP
THOSE HANDS WORKING.

AND THEY WERE HANDS THAT
BY THE END OF HIS LIFE

COULD VIRTUALLY DO ANYTHING
WITH THE MEDIUM HE CHOSE.

Woman: WHEN I WALKED INTO
CALDER'S STUDIO,

I WAS AMAZED AT HOW MANY
OBJECTS WERE THERE

AND HOW MESSY IT WAS,

HOW IT WAS VERY MUCH
A WORK IN PROGRESS.

THERE WERE WIRES
AND TAPES EVERYWHERE,

PARTS OF WOODEN SCULPTURES,

AND ONE ALWAYS HAD THE IDEA
LOOKING AT ALL OF THIS

THAT THE ARTIST
WAS CONSTANTLY WORKING,

CONSTANTLY INVENTING NEW FORMS,

AND GOING BACK IN SOME CASES

TO EARLIER WORKS
THAT HE HAD CREATED.

Woman: YOU KNOW,
HIS STUDIO WAS HUGE AND CHAOTIC,

NOT FOR HIM, BUT FOR
EVERYBODY ELSE LOOKING AT IT.

I MEAN, THAT DESK,
YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE.

BUT HE WOULD JUST GO IN THERE,

AND SOMETIMES WE WOULD THINK
OF SOME FRIENDS IN PARIS.

HE SAID, "LOOK,
LET'S WRITE HER A POSTCARD."

AND I SAID,
"I DON'T HAVE THE ADDRESS."

HE SAID, "I HAVE THE ADDRESS."

AND HE'D GO IN AND PICK OUT,
WITH HIS BIG FINGERS,

HE'D PICK OUT
A TINY PIECE OF PAPER, VOILA!

Man: I FIRST WAS LUCKY ENOUGH

TO BE ASSIGNED TO DO
THE CALDER KITCHEN

THROUGH HOUSE AND GARDEN.

AND IT WAS LIKE WALKING
OUT OF THE DARK

INTO THE BRIGHT SUNSHINE
TO SEE THE ATMOSPHERE

THAT THEY HAD CREATED.

IT WAS FULL OF LEGERS
AND MIROS ON THE WALL,

AND THEN ALL THE MARVELOUS
LADLES AND STUFF

THAT SANDY HAD CONCOCTED
BY FLATTENING OUT TIN CANS.

HE HAD MADE THE CUPBOARDS.

THERE WASN'T ANYTHING IN THERE
THAT HAD BEEN BOUGHT

WITHIN THE LAST 30 YEARS.

IT WAS JUST ENRAPTUROUS.

Narrator: NOW IN HIS LATE 40s,

CALDER BEGAN
TO REALIZE HIS DREAM

OF MAKING EVER LARGER WORKS.

PUNNING ON
DUCHAMP'S PUN "MOBILE,"

JEAN ARP HAD DUBBED CALDER'S
NONMOVING SCULPTURES "STABILES."

NOTHING LIKE THESE IMMENSE
ABSTRACT MONUMENTS

OF BOLTED STEEL
HAD EVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.

Stevens:
THEY'RE MONUMENTAL FORMS

THAT ARE NOT OVERWEENING
OR AGGRESSIVE.

THEY DON'T HAVE

THE USUAL MACHO
OF PUBLIC SCULPTURE.

AND THEY ALSO HAVE
AN IMPLIED MOVEMENT ABOUT THEM

FOR SOME REASON.

Gill: THE STABILES
ARE OFTEN ANIMAL FORMS

THAT WE HAVE, I THINK,
IN OUR UNCONSCIOUS,

AND WE LOOK SOMETIMES AT
A CALDER WAITING THERE FOR US,

AND AT FIRST WE HAVE TO DECIDE,
IS IT FRIEND OR FOE?

IT TURNS OUT,

BECAUSE OF THE NATURE
OF CALDER HIMSELF,

WHO WAS A SWEET, DEAR
BEAR OF A MAN,

THAT IT WAS FRIEND AND NOT FOE.

BUT THERE WAS
SOMETHING IN THERE,

SOMETHING PRIMORDIAL,

SOMETHING THAT PERHAPS
OUR DNA,

THREE-MILLION-YEAR-OLD DNA
WAS RESPONDING TO

IN THOSE SHAPES.

Narrator: NEAR THE FRENCH
VILLAGE OF SACHE,

CALDER BOUGHT AN OLD FARMHOUSE

AND SET UP
HIS BIGGEST STUDIO YET.

HERE HIS SCULPTURE COULD GROW
EVEN MORE MONUMENTAL.

FOR AN AUDITORIUM IN CARACAS,

HE DESIGNED A HUGE SYSTEM
OF PANELS 30 FEET LONG,

FLOATING BELOW THE CEILING.

THEIR EFFECT ON THE ACOUSTICS
WAS REMARKABLE.

AN INTERVIEWER ASKED CALDER

WHY HE WAS MAKING SCULPTURE
OF SUCH UNPRECEDENTED SCALE.

"IT'S MORE EXHILARATING,"
HE REPLIED,

"AND THEN ONE CAN THINK
HE'S A BIG SHOT."

CALDER WAS CHANGING THE VERY
IDEA OF PUBLIC SCULPTURE.

WHERE A 19th-CENTURY ARTIST

WOULD HAVE PUT
A WAR HERO ON A HORSE,

CALDER PUT
A LYRICAL ABSTRACTION.

IN PLACE OF BOMBAST
AND GRANDEUR,

HIS ART
EVOKED CONTEMPLATION...

IN PLACE OF SOLEMNITY,

A SMILE.

Gill: CALDER WAS
ABSOLUTELY INDISPENSABLE

TO THE KIND OF BUILDINGS
THAT WERE BEING BUILT

IN THE POSTWAR PERIOD,
BECAUSE THEY WERE SO SEVERE.

AND THEY WERE,
AT THEIR VERY WORST,

LET'S SAY, SLAB-LIKE.

AND THEY WERE IN DESPERATE WANT
OF SOME HUMANE TOUCH.

IT WAS A QUALITY
OF THE PENITENTIARY AT BEST.

HE WAS ABLE
TO RESCUE THE BUILDINGS.

I DON'T KNOW WHETHER HE HIMSELF
WAS CONSCIOUS OF THE DEGREE

TO WHICH HE WAS BEING USED
AS A ONE-MAN RESCUE OPERATION,

BUT THAT'S WHAT
IT FREQUENTLY WAS.

Ross: THE IDEA OF
SITE-SPECIFICITY, YOU KNOW,

CALDER INVENTED THAT.

THE ARTIST GOES TO A PLACE,

TRIES TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE
OF THE PHYSICAL PLACE,

AND THE SOCIAL NATURE
OF THE SPACE,

AND THEN CREATE WORK

IN REFERENCE
TO ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS,

TO UNDERSTAND THAT MODERN ART
REALLY IS A COMPLEX RESPONSE

AND NOT JUST SIMPLE,
VISUAL FACTS,

BUT A MORE COMPLEX AND DEEPER
UNDERSTANDING OF MODERN LIFE.

Man: WHEN I HAD MY OPPORTUNITY
TO COMMISSION HIM AT M.I.T.,

I DID SO, AND HE MADE
THE GREAT SAIL, YOU KNOW,

RIGHT ON THE AXIS
FROM THE CHARLES RIVER

ALL THE WAY INTO...
TO A BUILDING THAT I DESIGNED.

I THINK IT WAS
CLOSE TO WINTERTIME.

HE WAS THERE MAKING IT.

AND HE LOVED TO SHOW IT
TO THE STUDENTS.

STUDENTS WOULD COME BY AND ASK
HIM, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

AND HE WAS VERY HAPPY
EXPLAINING TO THEM.

AND THAT WAS FOR ME

REALLY THE REASON WHY
THAT PIECE WAS SO WELL-LIKED.

HE'S VERY CHILD-LIKE.

HE SOMEHOW SEEMED TO ME
LIKE A GROWNUP CHILD.

I MADE THE REMARK,

AND I DON'T THINK
IT'S UNFAIR TO SAY

THAT IN A SENSE
WHAT EINSTEIN GAVE

TO SCIENCE IN
THE DIMENSION OF TIME,

YOU'VE GIVEN TO ART IN
THE DIMENSION OF MOTION.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT,

BUT WHAT
WOULD EINSTEIN SAY?

WELL, THAT'S A VERY
INTERESTING POINT.

WELL, NOW,

HOW DO YOU KNOW
WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED?

UH, WHEN IT'S DINNERTIME.

Miller: THE FIRST TIME
I LAID EYES ON SANDY, ACTUALLY,

IT MUST HAVE BEEN IN '51,
PROBABLY AROUND THERE,

AND I WAS IN A GAS STATION
IN WOODBURY GETTING SOME GAS,

AND THIS GIGANTIC LaSALLE
TOURING CAR DROVE UP,

AND IT HAD NO TOP.

IT WAS DEAD OF WINTER,

AND THIS GIGANTIC FELLOW
WAS SITTING BEHIND THE WHEEL

WITH THIS SHEEPSKIN COAT ON.

IT WAS ACTUALLY
THE SKIN OF A SHEEP.

AND HE HAD A REMARKABLE VOICE.

NOBODY COULD UNDERSTAND HIM

EXCEPT PEOPLE WHO WANTED
TO UNDERSTAND HIM.

AND HE WAS...

Klaus Perls:
HE WAS NOT THE ARTIST

WITH THE CHIP
ON HIS SHOULDER.

Dolly Perls: I'VE NEVER
KNOWN ANYONE LIKE HIM.

NO, BECAUSE HE DIDN'T
HAVE THE PROBLEMS

MOST PEOPLE HAVE.

HE DIDN'T ACCEPT
THE PROBLEMS.

HE DIDN'T...
HE DIDN'T OWN A SUIT.

HE HAD TWO SHIRTS,

TWO WOOL RED SHIRTS,
AND THAT'S WHAT HE WORE...

TO DINNER PARTIES,
TO FORMAL OPENINGS,

IT DIDN'T MATTER.

Narrator: JUST AS HIS ART DID,

CALDER'S LIFE CELEBRATED
LAUGHTER, PLAY, AND FUN.

Davidson:
HE WAS A TERRIBLE TEASE.

I REMEMBER FOR CHRISTMAS ONCE HE
GAVE EVERYONE PLUMBER'S HELPERS,

YOU KNOW, THOSE RUBBER PLUNGERS,

AND THEY EACH
HAD A BOW AROUND THEM

AND THEY STOOD OUT
UNDER THE TREE.

AND HE HAD PAINTED EVERYONE'S
NAME ON THEM AS A GIFT.

Rower: WHEN THE CALDERS CAME
BACK FROM BRAZIL IN 1948,

THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM

ALL THESE GREAT SAMBA RECORDS,
AND THEY THREW SAMBA PARTIES.

THAT HAD SAMBA LINES,
YOU KNOW, IN ROXBURY.

JUST CRAZY, REALLY CRAZY TIMES,
AND WONDERFUL TIMES.

I DANCED WITH SANDY.

HE WAS ONE HELL OF A DANCER.

HE WAS A VERY GOOD DANCER,
BUT A VERY ROUGH DANCER.

YOU WERE APT TO BE
THROWN ON THE FLOOR

IF YOU WEREN'T CAREFUL.

Man: WELL, HE WAS A LARGE MAN
TO BEGIN WITH.

OF COURSE HE ATE TOO MUCH
AND DRANK TOO MUCH WINE,

SO HE WAS A BIG FAT FELLOW.

BUT THE GREAT THING
ABOUT HIM WAS,

IF HE WAS A FRIEND,

HE WAS SO GENEROUS
YOU COULD HARDLY BELIEVE IT.

Man: I REMEMBER I MET CALDER,

AND I WAS A LITTLE SMART-ALECKY,
I GUESS, AND HE SAID,

"YOU MAY BE GOOD NOW,
BUT CAN YOU LAST 10 YEARS?"

HE SORT OF PUT ME DOWN
A LITTLE BIT.

AND I THOUGHT, OH, BOY, YOU
KNOW, THAT'S THAT.

SHORTLY AFTER THAT
I CAME BACK TO NEW YORK,

AND HE CAME DOWN TO SEE ME.

AND WHEN HE LEFT I NOTICED

ON THE TABLE HE HAD LEFT
A $50 CHECK FOR MY RENT,

AND I WAS SHOCKED.

Rower: I'VE NOW DISCOVERED
REALLY HOW GENEROUS HE WAS,

JUST HOW MANY,
LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF WORKS

HE GAVE AWAY TO HIS FRIENDS,
HIS ASSOCIATES,

THE GUY DOWN THE ROAD WHO
CUT THE FIELD IN CONNECTICUT,

THAT KIND OF THING.

EVERYBODY GOT SOMETHING.

IT'S REALLY
SORT OF OVERWHELMING.

Narrator: THE 1950s AND 1960s

BROUGHT ACCOLADE
UPON ACCOLADE FOR CALDER.

HE WON THE SCULPTURE PRIZE
AT THE VENICE BIENNALE.

NOW HIS WORK WAS IN NEARLY

EVERY MAJOR MUSEUM IN THE WORLD,
BUT HE NEVER SLOWED DOWN.

Rower: HE WORKED EVERY DAY.

IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING
THE CATALOGUE RAISONNEE,

WE'VE IDENTIFIED 16,000 WORKS,

WHICH INCLUDES ALL WORKS
OF ALL MEDIA,

FROM THE SMALLEST LITTLE SKETCH
TO MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE.

BUT THAT MEANS HE WAS MAKING
A WORK A DAY FOR 50 YEARS.

Narrator: THE SCALE OF HIS WORK
CONTINUED TO GROW.

IN 1958, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

ASKED CALDER TO DESIGN
A GIANT MOBILE

FOR HIS NEW GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
IN NEW YORK,

THE BIGGEST CALDER MOBILE EVER.

WRIGHT DEMANDED
THE PIECE BE GOLD.

"FINE," SAID CALDER,

"IT WILL BE GOLD,
BUT I'LL PAINT IT BLACK."

HE DID NOT GET THE COMMISSION.

FOR THE ITALIAN HILL TOWN
OF SPOLETO

AND ITS FESTIVAL
OF THE ARTS IN 1962,

HE MADE HIS BIGGEST STABILE YET,

TEODELAPIO, 60 FEET HIGH.

FOR THE EXPO '67
WORLD'S FAIR IN MONTREAL,

HE MADE A STABILE TITLED MAN
THAT WAS SEVEN STORIES HIGH.

IN A WAY,

ALEXANDER CALDER
HAD TAKEN ON THE ROLE

OF HIS FATHER
AND GRANDFATHER...

ACCLAIMED AUTHOR

OF BIG, GRAND, CROWD-PLEASING
PUBLIC STATUARY...

BUT THESE WERE A VERY
DIFFERENT KIND OF STATUE.

IN THE ART WORLD, CALDER'S WORK
WAS NOW COMFORTABLY FAMILIAR,

BUT FOR MANY
OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC,

ABSTRACTION WAS STILL
A MYSTERY,

TO SOME EVEN A THREAT.

IN GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN,
IN 1969,

THE PROPOSAL FOR A HUGE CALDER
IN FRONT OF CITY HALL

MET WITH BOTH OUTRAGED PROTEST
AND PASSIONATE SUPPORT.

Woman: WOW, THIS IS GREAT
FOR ME TO BE HERE.

AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY.

BECAUSE 25 YEARS AGO,

THIS WAS
THE FIRST PUBLIC PROJECT

THAT THE ENDOWMENT SUPPORTED.

$45,000 THEY GAVE
TO GRAND RAPIDS AND KENT COUNTY

FOR THIS GORGEOUS SCULPTURE.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO,

IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT
TO GET THIS SCULPTURE INSTALLED.

THERE WAS A LOT OF OPPOSITION
TO THE IDEA OF FEDERAL FUNDING

FOR A PUBLIC PIECE OF SCULPTURE.

THERE WAS A LOT OF OPPOSITION
TO THE MONEY,

TO THE ABSTRACT OBJECT,

THE FACT THAT
IT WAS GOING TO BE RED.

PEOPLE SAID IF IT WAS RED

IT WAS GOING TO BE PART
OF A COMMUNIST PLOT.

AND I HAD A LOT OF HATE MAIL.

AND THEN THERE WERE
THE OBSCENE PHONE CALLS.

BUT I THINK THE MOST
EXCITING EXPERIENCE

WAS HAVING MY FRONT WINDOW
SHOT OUT WITH A RIFLE

THE DAY OF THE DEDICATION.

AND WHEN THE COUNTY SHERIFF
CAME AND HE LOOKED AT IT

HE SAID, "OH, LADY,
SOMEBODY REALLY

DOESN'T LIKE
THAT BIG RED THING."

Man: YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER

HOW FEW SCULPTURES OF THIS KIND
WERE IN ANY AMERICAN CITIES.

TO PUT A MODERN SCULPTURE
OF SUCH GRAND MAGNITUDE,

SUCH BRIGHT COLOR,
IN THE VERY HEART OF THE CITY,

AT CITY HALL, WAS SOMETHING
THAT WAS EXTRAORDINARY

AND TOOK A TREMENDOUS
LEAP OF FAITH

ON THE PART OF THE PEOPLE.

THAT, THAT GREAT WORK
OF PUBLIC SCULPTURE

TRANSFORMED THE CONSCIOUSNESS
OF A CITY.

I MEAN, THE CALDER EMBLEM
IS PRINTED ON THE SIDES

OF THE GARBAGE TRUCKS
OF THAT CITY.

IT'S BECOME THE IMAGE OF A CITY.

Narrator: CALDER'S PLAYFULNESS
NEVER FLAGGED.

HE PAINTED TWO DC-8 JETS
FOR BRANIFF AIRLINES.

HE PAINTED A RACE CAR FOR BMW.

HE DETESTED THE VIETNAM WAR,

MAKING POSTERS
AND DONATING ORIGINAL ART

FOR THE ANTIWAR MOVEMENT.

HE WAS POLITICAL IN THAT
HE HAD VERY DEFINITE IDEAS,

BUT IT WAS MY MOTHER

WHO WAS MUCH MORE
OF AN ACTIVIST REALLY.

THEY MARCHED IN WASHINGTON.

THEY WERE SOME
OF THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE

FOR THE PETITION AGAINST
THE VIETNAM WAR,

AND THEY BECAME

PART OF NIXON'S ENEMY LIST.

Stevens: THE 20th CENTURY

IS SUCH A TORMENTED
AND DIFFICULT CENTURY

THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN MUCH ART
THAT TAKES SERIOUSLY

THE IDEA OF JOY AND PLEASURE
AND CHILDLIKE QUALITIES.

CALDER CREATES A WORLD
IN WHICH THERE IS NO EVIL.

AND THAT'S
A VERY APPEALING IDEA,

AND A PROFOUND IDEA IN ITS WAY.

VERY FEW PEOPLE OF INTELLIGENCE

HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUSTAIN
OR BUY INTO

THAT KIND OF WORLD VIEW.

CALDER IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW
WHO DOES SO WITHOUT SEEMING

CORNY OR SENTIMENTAL.

Glimcher: CALDER'S WORK
ISN'T CHILDLIKE IN THE SENSE

THAT PEOPLE THINK IT IS.

CALDER IS INNOCENT.

EVERY GREAT ARTIST
IS A GREAT ARTIST

BECAUSE HE PERCEIVES THE WORLD

AS THOUGH IT'S BEING SEEN
FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THAT IS
THE INNOCENCE OF CALDER.

BUT CALDER'S WORK
IS VERY MASCULINE,

IS VERY SERIOUS,

IS THE WORK OF AN ENGINEER,

IS THE WORK
OF A MATHEMATICIAN,

BUT ALSO STRIKES THIS CHORD
OF PURE INNOCENCE.

Narrator: IN ROME, CALDER
REALIZED A LIFELONG DREAM,

A BALLET IN WHICH EVERY DANCER,
INDEED THE DANCE ITSELF,

WAS A CALDER SCULPTURE
IN MOTION.

WORK IN PROGRESS,
AS CALDER TITLED IT,

TOOK ALL OF 19 MINUTES,

BUT ITS SUBJECT WAS NO LESS
THAN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD,

FROM THE BEGINNINGS
OF LIFE ON EARTH

TO THE ARRIVAL OF MAN,

CIVILIZATION, AND WAR.

IT WAS SILLY AND SCIENTIFIC,

PHILOSOPHICAL AND FRIVOLOUS,

CRAZY AND PROFOUND.

"MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE CALLED IT

MY LIFE IN 19 MINUTES," HE SAID.

ON OCTOBER 20, 1976,
THE WHITNEY MUSEUM

OPENED AN EXHIBITION
OF CALDER'S LIFE WORK

IN ALL ITS ASTONISHING
VARIETY AND UNITY.

THE ARTIST WHOSE MODEL
WAS THE COSMOS HAD, HIMSELF,

CREATED A WORLD.

THREE WEEKS AFTER THE OPENING,
ON NOVEMBER 11th,

AT THE AGE OF 78,
ALEXANDER CALDER WAS DEAD.

Miller: YOU KNOW,
EVERY TIME I PASS THAT HOUSE,

WHICH I DO
A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK,

I LAMENT HOW SHORT LIFE IS,

BECAUSE HE COULD HAVE
GONE ON FOREVER AND EVER,

TURNING OUT THESE DELIGHTFUL
PIECES OF WORK.

I DO THINK, THOUGH,
THAT THE BEST OF HIS WORK

HAS CAPTURED SOMETHING
IN THE...

MAYBE JUST THE MECHANICS
OF THE UNIVERSE,

AND THE TENSION BETWEEN
STILLNESS AND MOTION.

IT IS MOST PLEASING,
IT IS MOST ENGAGING,

ITS FASCINATION IS NEVER-ENDING,

AND YOU JUST FEEL BETTER

FOR HAVING STARED AT IT
FOR A WHILE.