DALLAS, TX.- The Nasher Sculpture Center presents Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy from December 11, 2010 to March 6, 2010. The exhibition brings together over 30 sculptures spanning Calder’s career with the work of seven contemporary artists whose practices are bound to Calder's legacy as modern sculptor.

While a well-known, even beloved figure, Calder has not previously been considered an important point of reference for contemporary artists. This is the first exhibition to explore Calder's significance for an emerging generation of sculptors, reconsidering his influence and his innovation through a presentation of his own work alongside the work of contemporary artists.

The seven contemporary artists in this exhibition - Martin Boyce, Nathan Carter, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Aaron Curry, Kristi Lippire, Jason Meadows, and Jason Middlebrook—have taken important cues from Calder including a return to hands-on production, the creative reuse of materials, and explorations of form, balance, color, and movement.

Combining rigorous concept with a renewed emphasis on formalism, the work of these artists prioritizes the visual and visceral qualities of sculpture. Both directly and indirectly influenced by Calder, all of the artists are looking towards modernist forms and ideas, challenging and recontextualizing what is for many a familiar art history.

"Alexander Calder's Spider is one of the most beloved sculptures in the Nasher Collection,” said Jeremy Strick, Director of the Nasher Sculpture Center. “It will be great to see this work and others by Calder now providing inspiration for a new generation of artists, who are discovering within his sculptural inventions novel ways to make art."