A New Sanctuary Dedicated to the Art of Alexander Calder
A new initiative spotlighting the artistic genius and enduring impact of Alexander Calder will open in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. Conceived in partnership with the Calder Foundation, the yet-to-be-named nonprofit will be housed in a facility designed by Herzog & de Meuron featuring bespoke galleries tuned to the presentation of Calder’s works. Through rotating installations of masterworks in its galleries and gardens, the space will promote communion with the artist’s wide-ranging output and foster an appreciation of the legacy of Calder and the Calder family, who had deep ties to city of Philadelphia.
Design plans for the new space, to be located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway near the Barnes Foundation and Rodin Museum, are expected to be shared in late summer 2020.
Calder with Giraffe, Roxbury, 1941
Photograph by Herbert Matter
Calder in his New York City storefront studio, 1936
Photograph by Herbert Matter
Untitled, c. 1952. Sheet metal, wire, and paint, 58 × 71 in.
Photograph by Tom Powel Imaging
3 Segments, 1973. Sheet metal, rod, wire, and paint, 79 × 200 in.
La Grande vitesse (1:5 intermediate maquette), 1969. Sheet metal, bolts, and paint, 102 × 135 × 93 in.
Photograph by Ken Adlard
Sabot, 1963. Sheet metal, bolts, and paint, 146 × 132 1⁄2 × 77 1⁄2 in.
Photograph by Ken Adlard