Calder: In Motion

Showcases a collection that reflects the extraordinary variety and inventiveness of Calders oeuvre In spring 2023 the Seattle Art Museum announced that patrons Jon and Kim Shirley had generously gifted the Shirley Family Collection to the museum. The collectionone of the most important private holdings of Alexander Calders artis the result of thirty-five years of thoughtful acquisitions and features many significant examples from his production. It comprises more than forty-five artworks representing every decade of the artists career, including superlative examples of his wire sculptures, hanging mobiles, and stationary stabiles dating from the 1920s to the 1970s. This richly illustrated publication accompanies SAMs inaugural exhibition of works from the collection, demonstrating Calders unique vision, which has had a profound influence on contemporary culture. It features a curatorial foreword by Jos Carlos Diaz; short essays by Jon Shirley tracing his evolution as a passionate and informed collector of Calders work and discussing the importance of scale in the artists sculpture, which ranges from the miniature to the monumental; and an essay by art historian Elizabeth Hutton Turner that expands on the artists life and his extraordinary impact on twentieth-century art. Short contributions by Alexander S. C. Rower, president of the Calder Foundation and grandson of the artist, focus on ten of the collections artworks, situating them within Calders oeuvre.