WASHINGTON—For more than a year, the National Gallery of Art's monumental mobile by Alexander Calder was being repainted and restored. Now it's back, soaring in I.M Pei's East Building atrium, for which the artwork was designed.

Tommy Nguyen writes in the Washington Post that in addition to the new paint job in 'Calder Red,' the mobile had hardfacing work done a treatment that will allow the pieces to move more freely on their connecting loops.

Paul Matisse, grandson of Henri, was on hand yesterday to direct the reinstallation. Matisse, who is an artist and engineer said, "His mobiles were an extension of his delight. Notice how the shapes are almost haphazard, not serious at all."

The sculpture was originally planned in steel but would have been too heavy to spin and rotate above ground. At Calder's request, Paul Matisse transformed the design into an aluminum construction. The giant mobile was installed in 1977 and was Calder's last major work of art before his death in 1976.

The National Gallery of Art writes, "The monumental mobile is a feat of engineering, being lightweight, extremely strong, and capable of being moved by air currents. Weighing 920 pounds, it consists of thirteen panels and thirteen arms constructed of aluminum honeycomb and aluminum and steel bars."


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National Gallery of Art: National Gallery of Art's Calder Mobile Back on View Following Conservation Treatment"

Washington Post: "Looking Up at the National Gallery"