Alexander Calder: America's Modern Art Ambassador Featured this Weekend at NPM--October 24th, 1pm
This upcoming Saturday, October 24, at 1p.m. art enthusiast and stamp collector Mark Haimann, M.D. will present a new talk: Sculptures, Mobiles and Stamps—exploring Alexander Calder's role as "America's Modern Art Ambassador." Dr. Haimann will highlight Alexander Calder's life, work and legacy through worldwide postage stamps and other multimedia elements. As "America's Modern Art Ambassador," Calder crossed paths with many other famous artists from around the world and a number of them will also be featured in this saturday's lively talk.
At the 2008 American Philatelic Society StampShow in Hartford, Connecticut, Dr. Haimann debuted as a philatelic speaker with The Superstar, the Monk, and the Barefoot Stamp Designer: Three Artists Honored In Worldwide Philately. During the proceeding twelve months, Dr. Haimann was invited by Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine to be a volunteer instructor for a course focusing on fine art and development of observational skills within clinical medicine.
Alexander Calder was one of the first American artists to have an international impact on modern art in the 20th century. His career began with illustrations for the National Police Gazette in 1924 and ended in 1976 with a spectacular mobile-stabile in the Hart Senate Office Building in Wasington D.C. He is credited with putting sculpture into motion, while making it accessible to the public , and just plain fun!
In 1926, Calder moved to Paris where he lived until 1933 and where he visited often thereafter until World War II. Following the war, he moved back to France where he built a studio in Sache, and divided his time between the USA and Europe. His presence on two continents for almost 50 years allowed him to meet and interact with almost every artist who shaped modern art. In this world, Calder and his work were recognized as “one hundred percent American” (F. Leger, 1929). How and why is a fascinating story….
Join Dr. Haimann for a philatelic journey through the life and work of this incredible American artist in the Alphabetilately exhibit at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum on Saturday October 24, 2009 at 1 p.m. as part of the museum’s celebration of Stamp Collecting Month.
