| Floating Clouds | |
|---|---|
| Spanish: Nubes | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Aula_Magna-Calder-UCV.JPG) | |
| Artist | Alexander Calder |
| Year | 1953 |
| Location | Caracas |
| Owner | Central University of Venezuela |
Floating Clouds (sometimes called Flying Saucers by the artist)[1] is a work of art by American sculptor Alexander Calder, located in the Aula Magna of the University City of Caracas in Venezuela. The 1953 work comprises many 'cloud' panels that are renowned both artistically and acoustically. The piece is seen as "one of Calder's most truly monumental works"[2] and the prime example of the urban-artistic theory of campus architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva.
Originally intended as only an art piece, the panels were moved inside the Aula Magna to resolve the poor acoustics caused by the hall's design; the hall has since been said to have some of the best acoustics in the world. The Floating Clouds are named specifically in the UNESCO listing of the campus as a World Heritage Site, and are greatly renowned in Venezuela.
- ^ Frank, Patrick (2004). Readings in Latin American modern art. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 103–104. ISBN 9780300133332. OCLC 614963539.
- ^ "'An Engineer of Beauty': Alexander Calder on His Mobiles and the Later Stages of His Career, in 1973". ARTnews. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2019.