WASHINGTON, DC.- Best known for his abstract mobiles and stabiles, Alexander Calder (1898–1976) was also a prolific portraitist who created hundreds of likenesses over the course of his lifetime. An exhibition of these works is being shown at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery March 11 through Aug. 14. “Calder’s Portraits: A New Language” sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of Alexander Calder’s career and on broader narratives of 20th-century American culture. In addition to paintings and drawings, “Calder’s Portraits” features a number of the artist’s famed wire sculptures. Working with the unorthodox medium of wire, Calder shaped three-dimensional portraits, achieving nuanced likenesses and vivid characters. His inventive technique was referred to as “drawing in space” and reconceived both portraiture and sculpture. A critic writing for the Chicago