Calder's Mountains And Clouds Returns To Capitol Hill

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Alexander Calder's monumental sculpture, Mountains and Clouds, completed in 1976, has been fully reinstalled at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington D.C. The monochromatic work features a vertical stabile element representing mountains and four motor-rotated metal planes, which depict clouds, arranged parallel to the floor.

The clouds were removed in 2014 following a 2011 earthquake that prompted safety concerns and a structural analysis of the hanging components. The analysis of the panels was finished in 2016, but additional funding was required for the fabrication of new elements. This past weekend, contractors completed the reinstallation of the clouds, culminating a project that cost $12 million.

The renovation was funded by two private donors, Jon Shirley, former president and chief operating officer of Microsoft, and Kim Shirley, a retired attorney. The couple, known collectors of Calder's work, also serve as trustees at the Seattle Art Museum. The new carbon fiber clouds are approximately half the thickness of the originals, a material chosen for its enhanced strength and safety in the busy building, according to Daniel Sesil, the project's lead engineer, who spoke to the New York Times.

Mountains and Clouds, the only work by Calder to feature a separate mobile and stabile, was the artist's final planned sculpture and was constructed posthumously in 1976 with his family's approval. However, it was not installed in the Hart building until 1986, and by 1992, the motor driving the clouds had been stopped. Until its partial dismantling, both components of the sculpture remained static.

Source: Artforum

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