Alexander Stirling Calder
Alexander Stirling Calder was an American sculptor and teacher. He was the son of sculptor Alexander Milne Calder and the father of sculptor Alexander Calder. His best-known works are George Washington as President on the Washington Square Arch in New York City, the Swann Memorial Fountain in Philadelphia, and the Leif Eriksson Memorial in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Education
A. Stirling Calder was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of sculptor Alexander Milne Calder and Margaret Stirling. He attended city public schools, and enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Fall 1885, at age 15. He studied under Thomas Eakins for several months, until the teacher's forced resignation in February 1886. Calder remained at PAFA, studying under Thomas Anshutz and James P. Kelly. Two of his sculptures were accepted for PAFA's 1887 annual exhibition, a rare honor for a student.His father designed, and was then in the midst of executing, the extensive sculpture program for Philadelphia City Hall. Calder worked as an apprentice on the project during the summers, and is reported to have modeled an arm for one of the figures. He made his first trip to Europe in Summer 1889, and returned there to study the following year.
Calder moved to Paris in Fall 1890, where he studied at the Académie Julian under Henri Michel Chapu. The following year, he was accepted at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he entered the atelier of Alexandre Falguière.
Career
In 1892 he returned to Philadelphia and began his career as a sculptor in earnest. His first major commission, won in a national competition, was for a larger-than-life-size statue of Dr. Samuel Gross for the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Calder replicated the pose of Dr. Gross from Eakins's 1875 painting The Gross Clinic. Another early commission was for a set of twelve larger-than-life-size statues of Presbyterian clergymen for the facade of the Witherspoon Building in Philadelphia.In 1906, he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, and became a full member in 1913.
In Pasadena, he modeled architectural sculpture for the Throop Polytechnic Institute. He returned to the east coast in 1910.
In 1912, he was named acting-chief of the sculpture program for the Panama-Pacific Exposition, a World's Fair to open in San Francisco, California, in February 1915. He obtained a studio in NYC and there employed the services of model Audrey Munson who posed for him – Star Maiden – and a host of other artists. For the Exposition, Calder completed three massive sculpture groups, The Nations of the East and The Nations of the West, which crowned triumphal arches, and a fountain group, The Fountain of Energy. Following Bitter's sudden death in April 1915, Calder completed the Depew Memorial Fountain in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Hermon Atkins MacNeil and Calder were commissioned to create larger-than-life-size sculptures for the Washington Square Arch in New York City. George Washington as Commander-in-Chief, Accompanied by Fame and Valor was sculpted by MacNeil; and George Washington as President, Accompanied by Wisdom and Justice by Calder. These are sometimes referred to as Washington at War and Washington at Peace.
He sculpted a number of ornamental works for "Vizcaya", the James Deering estate outside Miami, Florida. These included the famous Italian Barge, a stone folly in the shape of a boat, projecting into Biscayne Bay.
Two of his major commissions of the 1920s were the Swann Memorial Fountain, and the architectural sculpture program for the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, both in Philadelphia.
He was one of a dozen sculptors invited to compete in Oklahoma's Pioneer Woman statue competition in 1926-27, which was won by Bryant Baker. In 1927, he was also commissioned by the Berkshire Museum to sculpt the woodwork and fountain of the Museum's Ellen Crane Memorial Room in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
In 1929, he won the national competition for a monumental statue of Leif Eriksson, to be the gift of the United States to Iceland in commemoration of the 1000th anniversary of the Icelandic Parliament. Standing before the Hallgrímskirkja, the Lutheran cathedral in Reykjavík, and facing west toward the Atlantic Ocean and Greenland, the Leif Eriksson Memorial has become as iconic for Icelanders as the Statue of Liberty is for Americans.
Teacher
Throughout his career, Calder frequently worked as a teacher. He was instructor in modeling at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art from 1899 to 1904. He taught at the National Academy of Design's evening school, 1910–11, and alongside Hermon Atkins MacNeil at NAD, 1911-12. He taught modeling at the Art Students League of New York, 1918-22. He was never on PAFA's faculty, but may have occasionally lectured there, where his friend Charles Grafly was instructor in sculpture.Personal
Calder married portrait painter Nanette Lederer on February 22, 1895, and they lived in Philadelphia for the first decade of their marriage. They had two children: Margaret Calder Hayes and Alexander "Sandy" Calder III. Calder contracted tuberculosis in 1905, and he and his wife moved to Arizona for a year, leaving the children with friends. Once he recovered his health, the family was reunited in 1906, and settled in Pasadena, California. They moved back east in 1910, and settled in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.Calder died of funnel chest syndrome in 1945, a disease he developed while working on his final sculpture, Sicilian Nectar. He is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. His memoir, Thoughts of A. Stirling Calder on Art and Life, was published posthumously.
Selected works
| Title | Image | Year | Location/GPS Coordinates | Material | Height | Notes |
| Dr. Samuel D. Gross Memorial | 1895–1897 | Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | bronze | Posthumous portrait of Dr. Gross, based on Thomas Eakins's 1875 painting. From 1897 to 1970, the statue stood on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.: | ||
| Bust of Major General John F. Hartranft | 1898 | Smith Memorial Arch, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | bronze | Gen. Hartranft was a U.S. Medal of Honor recipient for the First Battle of Bull Run. | ||
| Class of 1892 Drinking Fountain | 1900 | Quadrangle Dormitories, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , | bronze | Located under the arch at the top of the North Steps. | ||
| Overmantel frieze: The Boar Hunt | 1900 | Keil Hall, Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania | carved oak | Modeled by Calder, carved by John J. Maene. | ||
| Sewell Cross Major General William Joyce Sewell Monument | 1901 | Harleigh Cemetery, Camden, New Jersey | green granite | Modeled by Calder, carved by Leland & Hall Company. Gen. Sewell was a U.S. Medal of Honor recipient for the Battle of Chancellorsville. Calder was awarded PAFA's 1905 Walter Lippincott Prize for the Sewell Cross. | ||
| Man Cub: "Sandy" Calder at Age 3 | 1901–02 | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | plaster | PAFA purchased Calder's plaster original in 1905, and used it to make a 1906 bronze cast. The plaster was either returned to Calder or lost. A 1922 bronze cast is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. | ||
| Sundial | 1903-1905 | Fairmount Park Horticultural Center, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | marble | Located in the Sunken Gardens: | ||
| Missouri: The Queen of Rivers | 1904 | Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Missouri | plaster | Calder won a silver medal for his sculpture at the 1904 World's Fair. | ||
| Philippe Francois Renault | 1904 | Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Missouri | plaster | Calder won a silver medal for his sculpture at the 1904 World's Fair. | ||
| Calder Cross William Hickman Harte Memorial Cross | 1905 | Chippiannock Cemetery, Rock Island, Illinois | granite | Master William Hickman Harte was a Union naval officer who died in the June 17, 1862 Battle of Saint Charles, following the sinking of the USS Mound City. Fifty years later, Harte's son located his Arkansas grave, and commissioned this cenotaph for their home town cemetery. | ||
| Henry Charles Lea Monument | 1911 | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | bronze | Henry Charles Lea was a noted historian. The seated figure is Clio, the Muse of History: | ||
| Stretching Girl | 1911 | National Academy of Design, Manhattan, New York City | bronze | Calder's NAD diploma piece, presented following his election as an Academician in 1913. Robert Henri painted Calder's NAD diploma portrait. Another bronze cast is at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. | ||
| An American Stoic: Portrait of Najinyankte | 1912 | Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, Rhode Island | bronze | A standing Sioux man wrapped in a blanket. | ||
| Star Maiden | 1913–1915 | Oakland Museum, Oakland, California | bronze | The Star Maidens were balustrade figures surrounding the Court of the Universe: | ||
| Fountain of Energy | 1913–1915 | Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California | staff | "Energy, the Lord of the Isthmian Way, rides grandly upon the earth. His outstretched arms have severed the lands and let the waters pass. Upon his mighty shoulders stand Fame and Glory, heralding the coming of a conquerer. Energy, the Power of the Future, the Superman, approaches." | ||
| Fountain of Energy | 1913–1915 | Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California | staff | The globe featured a large reclining female figure with the head of a lioness, The Eastern Hemisphere, and a large reclining male figure with the head of a bull, The Western Hemisphere: | ||
| Fountain of Energy | 1913–1915 | Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California | staff | 4 sculpture groups were clustered around the globe: The Atlantic Ocean, The Pacific Ocean, The North Sea, The South Sea | ||
| Fountain of Energy | 1913–1915 | Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California | staff | 12 Nerieds riding dolphins were spaced around the pool's perimeter: | ||
| The Nations of the East | 1913–1915 | atop The Arch of the Rising Sun, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California | staff | |||
| The Nations of the West | 1913–1915 | atop The Arch of the Setting Sun, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California | staff | Crowning figure: Enterprise | ||
| The Nations of the West | 1913–1915 | atop The Arch of the Setting Sun, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, California | staff | Central figure: The Mother of Tomorrow | ||
| Depew Memorial Fountain | 1915–1917 | University Park, Indianapolis, Indiana | bronze | Crowning figure: | Calder completed this commission following sculptor Karl Bitter's 1915 death. Bitter's 1915 maquette for the fountain: | |
| George Washington as President, Accompanied by Wisdom and Justice | 1917–18 | Washington Square Arch, Washington Square, Manhattan, New York City | marble | Sometimes called Washington at Peace. Hermon Atkins MacNeil modeled Washington at War. The pair flank the north side of the arch. | ||
| The Great Stone Barge | 1917–1919 | "Villa Vizcaya", Coconut Grove, Florida | limestone | Calder's barge sculptures were criticized for being "excessively erotic." The eroded sculptures were used to cast concrete replicas in 1981. | ||
| Garden sculpture | 1917–1919 | "Villa Vizcaya", Coconut Grove, Florida | limestone | |||
| The Little Dear with the Tiny Black Swan | 1918-1921 | Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado | bronze | A version is a promised gift to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. | ||
| Swann Memorial Fountain | 1920–1924 | Logan Circle, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | bronze | Central figures: | Wilson Eyre, architect. The female allegorical figures represent the Schuylkill River and the Wissahickon Creek. The male Lenni Lenape figure represents the Delaware River. | |
| Naiad with Tragic Mask Model for a Fountain | 1920 | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | painted plaster | A bronze cast is at the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania. A larger plaster version is at the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair, New Jersey. | ||
| Scratching Her Heel | 1921 | Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, New York City | bronze | Another bronze cast is at the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia. | ||
| The Last Dryad | 1921 | Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | plaster | A 1926 bronze cast is at the University of California, Berkeley. | ||
| Shakespeare Memorial | 1923-1926 | In front of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Logan Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | bronze | Gilbert McIlvaine, architect Touchstone and Prince Hamlet: Another bronze cast is at Brookgreen Gardens. | ||
| Head of George Bellows | 1925 | Conner-Rosenkranz Gallery, Manhattan, New York City | plaster | A bronze cast is at the New York Historical Society. | ||
| Our Lady and the Holy Child | 1926 | St. Mary's of Redford Church, Detroit, Michigan | marble | Located in a niche behind the High Altar. | ||
| Pioneer Woman | 1926-27 | Woolaroc Museum, Bartlesville, Oklahoma | bronze | One of twelve bronze models created by American sculptors for the 1927 Pioneer Woman statue competition. Bryant Baker won the commission. His heroic-sized Pioneer Woman was dedicated in 1930, in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Calder received a $10,000 honorarium for his model. | ||
| Bust of John James Audubon | 1927 | Hall of Fame for Great Americans, Bronx Community College, Bronx, New York City | bronze | |||
| Leif Eriksson Memorial | 1929–1932 | Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral, Reykjavík, Iceland | bronze | Gift of the United States commemorating the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the Althing, Iceland's parliament. The statue appeared on a U.S. postage stamp and an Icelandic coin. Calder's plaster model is at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. A bronze cast is at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia. View from the cathedral's tower, looking west to the Atlantic Ocean: | ||
| Cruel Nature: Self-Portrait at Age 60 | 1930 | National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. | terra cotta | |||
| Robert Henri: The Painter-Teacher with the Gift of Friendship | 1934 | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | plaster | Calder and Henri had been friends since 1885, when both were first-year students at PAFA. Calder's widow had a bronze cast made of the bust in 1947, which she donated to PAFA. | ||
| Posthumous Bust of John Singer Sargent | 1934 | Bronx Community College, Bronx, New York City | plaster | |||
| Introspection | 1935 | plaster | ||||
| Continental Post Rider | 1936 | William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building, Washington, D.C. | aluminum | |||
| Bust of William Penn | 1936 | Hall of Fame for Great Americans, Bronx Community College, Bronx, New York City | bronze | |||
| Nature's Dance | 1938 | Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina | Indiana limestone | |||
| Bishop William White | 1940 | Washington Memorial Chapel, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania | bronze | The Right Reverend White was the first bishop of the American Episcopal Church. Calder's last major commission. | ||
| Bust of Winston Churchill | 1943 | plaster | Inscription: "HAVE FAITH, HAVE HOPE, DELIVERANCE IS SURE." JULY 14, 1941. |
Architectural sculpture
- Twelve cast stone figures of Presbyterian clergymen, Witherspoon Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1898–99, Joseph Miller Huston, architect.
- *Six of the figures were removed in 1961, and relocated to the garden of the Presbyterian Historical Society.
- Six spandrel figures, cast concrete, Throop Polytechnic Institute, Pasadena, California, 1906–1909, Myron Hart & Elmer Grey, architects.
- *Nature and Art, Energy and Law, Science and Imagination
- Oakland Civic Auditorium, Oakland, California, 1914, John J. Donovan, architect.
- *The Riches of the Earth - Seven terra cotta, half-domed friezes within the arched entrances.
- Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City, Missouri, 1924, Tracy and Swartwout, architects.
- *South Frieze, limestone, x, depicts Missouri history in 13 bas relief panels. The frieze flanks the tops of the central portico's columns and continues behind them.
- *North Frieze, limestone, bas relief panels depict Native Americans and Europeans. The frieze flanks the tops of the central columns and continues inside the curved portico.
- Four figures of famous actresses, marble, I. Miller Building, Broadway and West 46th Street, Manhattan, New York City, 1927–1929:
- Sculpture program for University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, completed 1931, Wilson Eyre, Frank Miles Day, and Cope & Stewardson, architects:
- *Lion's Head Fountain.
- *Peacock doorway.
- *Youth doorway.
- *Gateposts : Asia, Africa, Europe, America
Medallions
- Life as a Dance, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, New York City