Under Calder's Mobile

In the atrium of the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., there is a "very large" mobile. It is gigantic: it measures more than 23 meters in width. It shows large, curved shapes painted in Calder's characteristic primary colors (red, blue, black). Created shortly before Calder's death, it is one of his largest and most ambitious mobiles and reflects his lifelong exploration of balance and movement. It bears similarities to the artistic research of Piet Mondrian, one of his closest friends. In fact, Calder was inspired by Mondrian's abstract paintings and his primary color palette (blue, yellow, red). Fascinated by Mondrian's studio, he suggested that the colors should move, which inspired his exploration of movement as a central element of his art.