The massive Alexander Calder sculpture that dominates the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building is finally getting its long-awaited upgrade. Mountains and Clouds, the two-part installation that has been a fixture of the building since 1986, is undergoing a $12 million restoration that will, for the first time, allow the mobile component to move as the artist originally intended, according to an announcement Thursday from the Calder Foundation.
Calder conceived the work shortly before his death in 1976, envisioning a dynamic interplay between the grounded stabile—the 51-foot-tall "mountains"—and the 75-foot-wide mobile, or "clouds," that was meant to drift above it. However, due to the engineering limitations of the era, the mobile never functioned as designed. It froze in place by 1992 and was eventually removed in 2014.
The restoration project, funded entirely by philanthropists Jon and Kim Shirley, employs modern engineering and technology to rebuild the mobile, ensuring it will finally move in a way that honors Calder's vision. The foundation stated that the effort is a "historic public-private initiative" and comes "at no cost to taxpayers."
Bipartisan praise for the project
Lawmakers from both parties, many of whom championed the decade-long effort, welcomed the news. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) called the sculpture "an American work of art" and said the restoration "is a reminder of the importance of preserving the art and history of the U.S. Capitol." Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) emphasized that the Hart Building belongs to the American people, "and so does the art within it."
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) noted that he has long admired Calder's work, which stands outside his offices in both Washington and Chicago. "But for too long, half of the story of Mountains and Clouds has been missing," he said, thanking the Shirleys and the foundation for making the restoration possible.
Former Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who played a key role in the effort, recalled that his first request as chairman of the Rules Committee was to "rehang the clouds." That request has finally been fulfilled. "It has taken more than a decade, but the answer is yes," Blunt said.
A civic space restored
The restoration is expected to be completed later this year. Once finished, visitors to the Hart Building—whether they are there for hearings, tours, or simply passing through—will experience the sculpture as Calder intended, with the mobile and stabile in what the foundation calls "poetic, dynamic dialogue."
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Americans traveling to the Senate will "be greeted by this masterpiece in all its restored glory." Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) called it "one of our nation's most significant works of public art" and expressed excitement that the clouds have returned.
The project also comes amid broader debates over the preservation of public art in the Capitol. Recent discussions have touched on the fate of other sculptures, including a landmark piece at the Kennedy Center, and the paint tests on the Eisenhower Building. But for now, the focus is on the successful restoration of a beloved American masterpiece.
