Biography

American sculptor/artist. Born in Pennsylvania. Majored in Mechanical Engineering at university. After working as an engineer, he studied painting in NYC. In 1926, he moved to Europe. He gained attention in Paris for the mechanical toy circus he created to earn his living. This work was developed into the “Circus” performance series, consisting of wire sculptures. In 1928, his first solo exhibition of wire sculptures was held in NYC. In 1930, his visit to Piet Mondrian’s studio inspired an awakening to Abstract art, which led to his exhibiting “mobile” sculptures that incorporated random and irregular movements. From the mid-1940s, he also produced static monumental sculptures referred to as “stables.” As a pioneer of kinetic art, he established the concept of the innovative sculpture, through his humorous and keen artistic perception.