“It took only part of a wire coat hanger – and the whimsical genius of “Sandy” Calder – to produce a mobile small enough to fit into a matchbox. It became a much-loved birthday present for Max Ernst – his friend, fellow artist, and neighbor in Tours, France. “It’s easy to make,” he explained to my wife, and proceeded to create a tiny mobile for her; his large, agile fingers fashioning a delicate fantasy.” From Karsh: A Biography in Images (MFA Boston).

Alexander Calder was born on this day, July 22, in 1898 (d. 1976).