Calder was born in 1898 in Philadelphia, the son of Alexander Stirling Calder and grandson of Alexander Milne Calder, both wellknown sculptors. After obtaining his mechanical engineering degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology, Calder worked at various jobs before enrolling at the Art Students League in New York City in 1923. During his college years, he did line drawings for the National Police Gazette. It was while he attended the Art Students League that he was influenced by artists of the Ash Can school. In 1926 he moved to Paris and developed his miniature circus. Calder began to work in an abstract style, finishing his first nonobjective construction in 1931. He started to make sculptures which Duchamp called "mobiles", objects that could be moved by hand or by small electric motors. These were followed, as of 1934, by pieces set in motion by wind.

Gouache and ink on paper
22,9 x 30,6 in (58,1 x 77,8 cm)