Alexander Calder | Halberdier

The sculpture “Halberdiers” by Alexander Calder (born 1898 in Lawnton, USA – † 1976), also known by the alternative title “Guadeloupe,” was donated to the city of Hanover in 1972 by the collector and patron Bernhard Sprengel and can be interpreted as a commentary on what he perceived as a lack of cosmopolitanism in the “street art program.” It was initially installed in front of the opera house, but in 1978, following public protests, it was relocated to the Sprengel Museum Hannover. There, the sculpture serves, on the one hand, as a bridge between the museum as a cultural venue and the Maschsee recreational area; on the other hand, it also stands as a clear symbol of modernism in contrast to the sculptures on the lake’s shore that date back to the Nazi era (Hermann Scheuernstuhl’s “Torchbearer” and “Fish with a Riding Cherub,” which are explained on site, are located in the immediate vicinity). » Location: Kurt-Schwitters-Platz