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Why did World War II affect the materials Alexander Calder used?
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Alexander Calder
American artist Alexander Calder with one of his mobiles in his Roxbury, Connecticut, studio.
During World War II, shortages of sheet metalāa primary material for his mobile sculpturesāforced Alexander Calder to adapt his artistic process.1
In response to these supply constraints, Calder began utilizing found objects and refuse he discovered on his property in Roxbury, Connecticut. By incorporating materials such as bits of wood, shards of glass and ceramics, and tin cans, he created a notable series of works known as Constellations, as well as other celebrated pieces like Finny Fish (1948).1