Where Is Eagle? See It at Olympic Sculpture Park

Q: How big is Calder's Eagle?

The Eagle stands 39 feet tall and weighs over 6 tons. It's made of painted sheet steel in Calder's signature red-orange color. Despite its name, the form is entirely abstract. Calder created it in 1971 and left interpretation open to viewers.

Q: Where can I see the Eagle?

At the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, run by the Seattle Art Museum. The park is free and open daily. The Eagle is one of its defining landmarks, visible from multiple vantage points throughout the park.

Q: How did the Eagle get to Seattle?

Originally owned by the Fort Worth National Bank in Texas, the Seattle Art Museum purchased it in 2000. It was installed when the Olympic Sculpture Park opened in 2007. The bold red color and sweeping steel forms have made it the park's most photographed work.

Q: What's a 'stabile'?

A stabile is a stationary sculpture, as opposed to Calder's famous mobiles (which move). Calder invented both forms in the 1920s-30s while living in Paris. The Eagle is one of his largest stabiles, created near the end of his career.

Alexander Calder's bold red Eagle has become the visual icon of Olympic Sculpture Park. Perched over Elliott Avenue, the abstract stabile rises against the Seattle skyline and Puget Sound.

The monumental sculpture was gifted by Jon and Mary Shirley in honor of the Seattle Art Museum's 75th anniversary. It stands as a bold counterpoint to the natural beauty of the Olympic Mountains visible across the water.

Maintaining such a large outdoor steel work is challenging. The museum uses boom lifts for conservation, and groundskeepers must clip grass near the base with scissors rather than mowers to avoid damaging the paint. Eagle underwent a full restoration in 2020.

The Eagle stands 39 feet tall and weighs over 6 tons. It's made of painted sheet steel in Calder's signature red-orange color. Despite its name, the form is entirely abstract. Calder created it in 1971 and left interpretation open to viewers.

At the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, run by the Seattle Art Museum. The park is free and open daily. The Eagle is one of its defining landmarks, visible from multiple vantage points throughout the park.

Originally owned by the Fort Worth National Bank in Texas, the Seattle Art Museum purchased it in 2000. It was installed when the Olympic Sculpture Park opened in 2007. The bold red color and sweeping steel forms have made it the park's most photographed work.

A stabile is a stationary sculpture, as opposed to Calder's famous mobiles (which move). Calder invented both forms in the 1920s-30s while living in Paris. The Eagle is one of his largest stabiles, created near the end of his career.

Eagle

Details

Where to See It

The Artist

More by Alexander Calder

Flamingo

La Grande Vitesse

Gamma

Toile d'araignée

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Typewriter Eraser, Scale X

Echo

Wake

About Eagle

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