Dig Through Alexander Calder’s Archive

Just in time for the expansive survey exhibition Alexander Calder: Modern From the Start, which opened last week at the MoMA, the Calder Foundation has unveiled a phenomenal digital research archive of the artist’s work that was three years in the making. A recent ArtNet report described its kitchen-sink breadth as doing “for hardcore Calder-heads what IMDb does for movie buffs,” which is a perfect comparison. It’s free to access, and gives a digital home to almost 1,500 works of art and ephemera — many of which were previously unpublished or otherwise rarely seen — all highly organized and beautifully presented. We’re talking mobiles of course, but also chips of marble inked with miniscule marks and called fertility goddesses, wire sculptures, stories about Calder’s family, even a handful of ashtrays he made out of tin. Go to calder.org and prepare to lose yourself in Calder’s world. If you’re hooked, check out MoMA’s virtual lecture and panel discussion, which starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 25. MoMA curator Cara Manes will be joined by Alexander S.C. Rower, president of the Calder Foundation and the artist’s grandson, to discuss Calder’s work and the exhibition. Visit moma.org for details — registration is free, but you need to sign up in advance. LAURA HUTSON HUNTER