Alexander Calder
(1898–)
(–1976)
Model of Man (maquette)
Artist(s)
Date
1967
Object Type
sculpture
Medium
painted carbon steel
Dimensions
151.0 x 188.0 x 115.0 in.
Collections
Outdoor Sculpture Collection
Accession
A1967.i89.27
Although best known for his kinetic pieces known as mobiles, which were concerned with the expression of free and uncontrolled movement, Alexander Calder also created “stabiles,” a term Calder used to refer to any piece of sculpture that did not move. Its genesis appears to have been in certain elements of the hanging mobile, yet the stabile provides a different experience for the spectator as he or she moves around the object.
The Model of Man is a 1/6 scale maquette for a 21-metre-high stainless-steel sculpture unveiled at Expo ’67 in Montreal, the biggest stabile Calder had made up to that time. Originally entitled Three Disks, Calder changed the name to Man to complement the theme for the exposition, “Man and His World.” The Model of Man requires the viewer to move around the piece and inspect it from different angles. It was donated to York University by the International Nickel Company in 1967.
