The art of repurposing - with elegance

Alexander Calder's jewelry is on view for the first time in Philadelphia By JOANN LOVIGLIO • Associated Press • July 20, 2008 Think of Alexander Calder, and the first thing to come to mind would likely be the suspended abstract sculptures that silently orbit above the heads of museumgoers around the world. Though best known for those enormous yet graceful creations his friend and fellow artist Marcel Duchamp coined as "mobiles," Calder is far less known for the approximately 1,800 one-of-a-kind pieces of handmade jewelry he created throughout his artistic career. About 100 of those rarely seen necklaces, bracelets, brooches, earrings and tiaras are on display at the exhibit "Calder Jewelry" in the Philadelphia Museum of Art's new Perelman Building. Most are owned by the Calder Foundation and the rest are from museums and... [read full story]