How to Collect Wire Sculptures

Wire sculptures are often used to create impressionistic interpretations of everyday objects, such as shoes and bicycles, or suggest the outlines of living figures, such as animals and human beings. While some wire sculptures can be functional, taking the form of baskets and racks, others border on the downright fantastic, such as hanging mobiles or other abstract forms.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Create a proper space in your home or office to collect wire sculptures. While many sculptures may be diminutive, some are rather large and require adequate space to achieve their effect. As with many impressionistic types of art, wire sculptures tend to need plenty of distance in order to be properly appreciated.

2. Use wire sculptures in more practical applications, such as a planter for flowers, or to hold other artistic objects. Wire sculptures can be installed in outdoor gardens to support vines and flowers or even to start a topiary tree. Wire sculptures in the shapes of animals or trees may be perfect additions to an outdoor garden or patio.

3. Visit local art galleries and museums to see examples of wire sculptures and decide what types of sculptures you want to collect. A curator or art gallery owner may be able to suggest local artists who may have work for sale or even find other exhibits and shows for you to investigate.

4. Commission a local artist to create wire sculptures specifically designed for your home. Invite the sculptor to your home so that light and space can be absorbed and observed, which may result in a unique creation.

5. Collect mobiles, which are among the first types of wire sculptures, and hang them from your highest ceilings for a dramatic effect. Mobiles are generally made using wires, strings and rods, and they can use objects made from metal and paper to further reflect the light.

6. Learn how to make wire sculptures on your own to make your existing collection more personal. Wire sculpture can be easy to learn and requires just a few simple tools, such as pliers, vices and wire cutters. The addition of jewelry or beads can make even the simplest shapes more provocative, and you can change or bend the sculpture until you achieve the desired results.

Tips & Warnings

• Alexander Calder, the American artist who invented the mobile, is responsible for the development of wire sculpture as a legitimate art form in the first half of the 20th century.