DETROIT, MI.- AT&T Inc. has announced the donation of a magnificent sculpture, “Jeune fille et sa suite (Young Woman and Her Suitors),” which was created in 1970 by renowned American artist Alexander Calder, to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).

The sculpture, which formerly anchored the exterior plaza of the AT&T headquarters building at Cass and Michigan avenues in Detroit , will be installed in the spring of 2008 on the DIA lawn at John R and Farnsworth streets. This architecturally scaled sculpture will become a landmark on John R and contribute to the University Cultural Center Association’s project to beautify the spaces connecting several of Detroit ’s museums and cultural institutions.

“As a work long considered a sign of corporate pride and investment in the city of Detroit, this gift from AT&T is not just an important addition to the DIA collection but also a civic symbol for all Detroiters,” said Graham W.J. Beal, DIA director. “This generous donation is a wonderful way to augment the upcoming grand opening of the new DIA.”

Michigan state Sen. Buzz Thomas, who was instrumental in coordinating this gift, said it was important to keep the sculpture in Detroit . “This sculpture is a Detroit treasure and has been for over 30 years,” Thomas said. “I am so pleased that AT&T decided to continue its commitment to our city by donating it to the DIA and making it available for viewing for generations to come.”

“Along with our nearly 13,000 AT&T colleagues who grew up and live here in Michigan , I am thrilled to be able to share a part of our history in Detroit with the future of the DIA," said Gail Torreano, president of AT&T Michigan. "We are proud to have had this beautiful work of art outside our offices for all these years, but the Detroit Institute of Arts is the best location for it to be on display for years to come.

“It is exciting to know that this piece will be able to be viewed at the DIA by future generations of visitors and students from all over Detroit , Michigan and the world."

Originally purchased in 1970 by Michigan Bell, “Jeune fille et sa suite” stood at the corner of Cass and Michigan avenues from 1972 until 2006. It was deinstalled in April 2006 for conservation treatment, which included repainting the sculpture from red to black, its original color. As a sculptor, Calder completed more than 20 monumental works that stand between 20 and 65 feet tall. “Jeune fille et sa suite,” approximately 35 feet high by 27.5 feet wide by 19 feet deep, figures among these majestic compositions that grace public spaces throughout the world.

The central image in “Jeune fille et sa suite” is a feminized curvilinear shape flanked by vertical or masculine forms. The combination of the rounded and more geometric shapes suggests an interaction, or dialogue, between a young girl and her entourage.

About Alexander Calder and “Jeune fille et sa suite” - Alexander Calder was born in 1898 into a family of artists; his father was a sculptor and his mother was a painter. Originally trained as an engineer, Calder challenged conventional sculpture form by bending and twisting wires to literally draw in space and experimented with motion and balance as integral components of a form, thus revolutionizing concepts of mass.

He created 3-D forms that move: mobiles — a word coined by Marcel Duchamp; and stabiles —the moniker for static sculpture suggested by Jean Arp. In the 1930s, Calder started constructing outdoor sculptures. His first titan, “Teodelapio,” completed in 1962, spanned a roadway in Spoletto , Italy . In his later years, Calder concentrated on large-scale commissioned works, including “La grande vitesse,” the first public artwork to be funded by the National Endowment for the Arts for the city of Grand Rapids , Mich. , in 1969.

DIA Temporary Closing and Public Reopening

To complete the final phase of a $158 million renovation project, which includes reinstalling over 5,000 works of art in redesigned galleries, the museum is currently closed. Arts Alive! on Nov. 10 will kick off more than a week of events to celebrate the opening of the new DIA and will conclude with the museum’s public debut Friday, Nov. 23, at 10 a.m.