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Join us as we celebrate the opening of Following Space: Thaddeus Mosley & Alexander Calder! This free event includes a gallery overview from the curator, improvisational jazz performances, delicious cocktails, and snacks.Opening Remarks
6:15–6:30 pm
Brotman Forum
Exhibition Overview with Catharina Manchanda
6:30-6:45 pm
3rd Floor Galleries
Join Catharina Manchanda, Jon and Mary Shirley Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, in an exhibition overview of Following Space: Thaddeus Mosley & Alexander Calder.
SAM Performs: Victor Noriega
6:30-7:15 pm & 7:45-8 pm
Brotman Forum
Pianist/composer Victor Noriega has been described as having “the sensitivity of Bill Evans, the propulsion of Horace Silver and the experimentation of Thelonious Monk,” while his compositions have been characterized as “layered, complex, interesting and rhythmic,” “introspective at times, energetic and boundary-stretching at others . . . seamlessly blend[ing] jazz and modern classical influences."
Docent Tour
7:30-8 pm
3rd Floor Galleries
Join one of our amazing docents on a tour of the galleries and learn more about these dynamic artists.
Member Perks
6–8:30 pm
Brotman Forum
Members get $1 off drinks at the Shooby Doo bar with a member card or ticket.
7–8:30 pm
Arnold Board Room
Members enjoy a lounge where they can relax and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine, desserts (while they last!), and screenings of Thaddeus Mosley: Sculptor.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:
This exhibition pairs wood sculptures by Pittsburgh native Thaddeus Mosley (American b. 1926) with works by the radical inventor of the mobile, Alexander Calder (American 1898-1976).
When Calder began making mobiles in 1931, he transformed the trajectory of sculpture by removing its mass and taking it off the pedestal. His nonobjective kinetic works undulate unpredictably in the air, transforming the space around them in the process. “The idea of detached bodies floating in space, of different sizes and densities, perhaps of different colors and temperatures, and surrounded and interlarded with wisps of gaseous condition, and some at rest, while others move in peculiar manners, seems to me the ideal source of form,” he said in 1951.
The aesthetics of modern sculpture were inspirational to Mosley when he started his practice in the 1950s and first encountered Calder’s work. Mosley’s composite organic forms further developed through the study of African carvings, notably by Dogon, Senufo, Bamum and Mossi makers. In these artworks, Mosley creates acute impressions of instability and precariousness. “I have a philosophy of weight and space,” he says, “and that means that everything should rise from the bottom to the top to get the feeling of levitation.”
The seventeen sculptures by Mosley in this exhibition, made between 2001 and 2024, characteristically emphasize weight and balance. Five works by Calder, chosen in consultation with Mosley and made between 1936 and 1956, slice through space, pointing to energetic forces beyond human perception. In vitally different ways, these two artists create a heightened awareness of forms in space and instill the anticipation of change.
Photo: "Following Space," 2016, Thaddeus Mosley, American, b. 1926, cherry, 117 x 28 x 28 in., Courtesy the artist and Karma, © Thaddeus Mosley.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Seattle Art Museum, 1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101-2003, United States,Seattle, Washington
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