Question 1

True or false: Calder originally trained as a mechanical engineer before becoming an artist.

Accepted Answer

True. He earned an engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1919, which later informed his precise, balanced sculpture designs.

Question 2

True or false: Alexander Calder invented the mobile as a form of kinetic sculpture.

Accepted Answer

True. Calder pioneered mobiles—abstract, moving sculptures—with his first true mobile in 1931, revolutionizing modern art by incorporating motion.

Question 3

True or false: Calder’s sculpture, 'Flamingo,' is made of painted steel and stands in Chicago.

Accepted Answer

True. Unveiled in 1974, this 53-foot-tall red stabile in Chicago's Federal Plaza is one of his most iconic public works, blending engineering with bold form.

Question 4

True or false: Calder’s parents were both famous painters who discouraged his artistic career.

Accepted Answer

False. His father was a sculptor, mother a painter, but they actually supported his art; he studied engineering before turning to sculpture.

Question 5

True or false: Alexander Calder's grandfather was a famous painter.

Accepted Answer

False. Calder's grandfather, Alexander Milne Calder, was a sculptor known for the statue of William Penn atop Philadelphia's City Hall.

Question 6

True or false: Calder never worked with color, preferring only black and white for all his mobiles.

Accepted Answer

False. Calder loved bold primary colors—red, yellow, blue—often painting his mobiles and stabiles in vibrant hues, not just monochrome.

Question 7

True or false: Alexander Calder created the large red stabile "Flamingo" in Chicago.

Accepted Answer

True. Calder's "Flamingo" is a 53-foot-tall red stabile installed in Chicago's Federal Plaza in 1974.

Question 8

True or false: Calder created a miniature circus with wire figures that he performed for friends.

Accepted Answer

True. His "Cirque Calder" featured tiny wire acrobats and animals, which he animated for audiences in the 1920s—a quirky, playful start to his career.

Question 9

True or false: Alexander Calder invented the mobile, a type of kinetic sculpture that moves with air currents.

Accepted Answer

True. Alexander Calder is widely credited with inventing the mobile in the early 1930s. His kinetic sculptures use air currents to achieve movement.

Question 10

True or false: Alexander Calder's mobiles are powered by electric motors.

Accepted Answer

False. Calder's mobiles are designed to move by air currents, not motors. Some early works had motors, but his signature mobiles are wind-driven.

Question 11

True or false: Calder’s mobiles were inspired by the solar system and planetary motion.

Accepted Answer

True. He cited the universe as influence, saying his mobiles mirrored celestial bodies’ orbits, though he abstracted these into balanced, hanging forms.

Question 12

True or false: Alexander Calder received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976.

Accepted Answer

True. President Gerald Ford awarded Calder the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976, recognizing his contributions to art.

Question 13

True or false: Alexander Calder designed the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year.

Accepted Answer

False. The Calder Memorial Trophy is named after Frank Calder, the NHL's first president, not the sculptor Alexander Calder.

Question 14

True or false: Calder’s stabiles are named for their ability to stab the viewer with sharp edges.

Accepted Answer

False. The term 'stabile' was coined by Jean Arp to describe Calder's stationary abstract sculptures, contrasting with his mobiles. It derives from the Latin 'stabilis' (stable), not from any dangerous feature.

Question 15

True or false: Alexander Calder studied mechanical engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology.

Accepted Answer

True. Calder earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1919 before pursuing art.

Question 16

True or false: Alexander Calder performed as a professional trapeze artist before becoming a sculptor.

Accepted Answer

False. Calder created a miniature circus but never performed as a trapeze artist. He was an engineer and artist from the start.

Alexander Calder Trivia Questions