Alexander Calder's "Le Baron"

Alexander Calder's "Le Baron"

NIU purchased this steel, 16' by 14' "stabile" as part of the inauguration ceremonies in 1968 for university president Rhoten H. Smith. Funding for the sculpture came from the Student Association, proceeds from campus vending machines, and private donations. Previously displayed at the Maison de la Culture in Bourges, France, the stabile was deconstructed there, shipped to NIU, and reassembled. Alexander Calder, one of the most important sculptors of the twentieth century, chose the placement himself after considering maps of campus.