Acclaimed 20th-century sculptor and maestro of the mobile Alexander Calder (1898–1976) is both the namesake and subject of a major new cultural institution in the artist's hometown of Philadelphia.
Located on Benjamin Franklin Parkway—the grand boulevard that runs right through the heart of the city—Calder Gardens occupies a nearly 2-acre spot meant to show off a harmonious mix of art, nature, and architecture.
Colorful landscaping, designed by Piet Oudolf with meandering walkways and 250 different kinds of plants, surrounds a sleek, curving, metal-clad building designed by the firm of Herzog & de Meuron.
Inside the building as well as outside on the grounds, visitors will find dozens of Calder's works, ranging from the spindly wire mobiles for which the artist is best known to his stationary, freestanding stabiles and monumental metal sculptures that often suggest abstracted origami cranes.
From time to time, curators will swap out works on display, offering an ever-changing perspective on Calder's output. There will be chances to see his lesser-known paintings and drawings, too.
What visitors will not find are the sorts of labels and wall text providing titles, dates, and explanatory descriptions that are common in other art museums.
The idea is to encourage a more open-ended, contemplative experience at Calder Gardens.
"The architecture and gardens invite us to direct our own journey, to interpret what we see in a uniquely personal way, to use our hearts more than our heads," explains Alexander S.C. Rower, president of the Calder Foundation and grandson of the artist, in a statement. "This is a site for reflection, introspection, and discovery."
Plan a Philly art pilgrimage
Long in the works, the $90 million project instantly becomes an important stop for art-loving tourists in Philadelphia, who will need to make room on their itineraries among visits to Ben Franklin Parkway neighbors such as the Barnes Foundation, the Rodin Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Each of those can be reached on foot from Calder Gardens within 15 minutes.
And, as the Philadelphia Inquirer points out, "culture vultures and fans of Philadelphia lore now have, over a half-mile stretch, a richer visual representation of one of the city’s great dynastic art stories: from the sculpture at City Hall of William Penn and others by Alexander Milne Calder; to the allegorical figures of Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan Circle by his son, Alexander Stirling Calder; to an entire museum devoted to his son," Alexander Calder of modernist mobile fame.
Calder Gardens is now open to the public, Weds–Sun from 11am to 5pm. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, $5 for college students (with valid ID) and youth ages 13 to 18. Admission is free for kids ages 12 and younger.
To book tickets in advance, go to CalderGardens.org.