Chamberlain, John

Chamberlain, John, 1927–2011, American sculptor, b. Rochester, Ind. In the late 1950s, Chamberlain became known for his welded abstract assemblages of smashed automobile parts and colored scrap metal. In the late 1960s he created sculptures from unpainted galvanized steel and later also used resin-coated paper. cord-tied foam rubber blocks, and shaped plexiglass and aluminum foil. In 1974 he returned to the smashed car-part sculptures for which he is best known. His work is represented in many prominent collections, including the Los Angeles County Museum, Dia:Beacon, and the Guggenheim Museum and Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

See J. Sylvester, John Chamberlain: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Sculpture 1954–1985 (1986); R. Creeley et al., Papier Paradiso (2006); K. Kertess et al., John Chamberlain: The Foam Sculptures (2008).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: American and Canadian Art: Biographies