A Pitt professor added fresh context to artwork at the heart of the new Pittsburgh International Airport

Since the opening of  Pittsburgh International Airport’s new landside terminal late last year, travelers have been welcomed by a familiar artwork reintroduced in a dramatically new way — along with interpretation crafted by a University of Pittsburgh scholar.

Suspended in the center of the terminal’s grand atrium, Alexander Calder’s “Pittsburgh” mobile now occupies the most visible position in its 70-year history.

The 28-foot kinetic sculpture, composed of black steel rods and white aluminum paddles, has long been part of Pittsburgh’s visual identity. Now, it’s also accompanied by an interpretive wall label by Alex Taylor, an associate professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of History of Art and Architecture.

Taylor has studied Calder’s work for more than a decade, beginning with his master’s dissertation at Oxford University and continuing through contributions to major exhibitions at contemporary art institutions like Tate Modern. He said the airport project is a rare chance to bring that scholarship to an enormous public audience.

“That role of an historian to enrich the stories around a work of art is one that I both take seriously and is a great pleasure,” Taylor said.

Per Taylor, the installation’s new placement transforms how people experience the mobile. In the previous terminal, he noted, the artwork competed with architectural distractions and often sat high above passengers’ natural sight lines. The new atrium, on the other hand, was designed to showcase the sculpture’s shifting geometry, with views available from the departure level, the arrivals level below and multiple vantage points throughout the space.

Because the mobile is constantly activated by slight air currents and by the motion of surrounding travelers, Taylor said its character changes moment to moment.

“Anytime you see it, it’s going to be a different work of art,” he said.

Beyond its visual impact, Taylor sees “Pittsburgh” as an opportunity for travelers to connect with histories they may not expect to encounter in an airport. Calder’s abstraction, industrial materials and interest in movement make the sculpture uniquely suited to the context of air travel and to Pittsburgh’s legacy as a center of steel and aluminum production.

Taylor also sees value in helping people understand how public artworks evolve over time through changing placements, conservation decisions and shifting public attention. His wall label traces the sculpture’s history at the airport, from its original installation in 1952 terminal — where it was later repainted without the artist’s permission — to its restoration and recent relocation. It encourages viewers to consider not only the mobile’s form, but the effort required to preserve public art.

And with the mobile now suspended in a soaring, light-filled atrium designed to reintroduce it to the public, Taylor said the effect is undeniable.

“You can’t miss it,” Taylor said.

Photography courtesy of Pittsburgh International Airport