John Angus Chamberlain

American, 1927 - 2011

(not assigned)New York, New York

SchoolAssemblage and Found Objects Sculpture

BiographyBest known for his sculptures of crushed automobile parts, John Chamberlain has had an ongoing interest in everyday objects, but he focused almost exclusively on cars from 1959 to 1963. Instead of creating something new, he was demolishing something already in existence. For several years he did paintings, using automobile lacquer, but then returned to his earlier method of producing crushed forms, but added materials such as foam rubber, Plexiglas, and paper.

Chamberlain was born in Rochester, Indiana. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at Black Mountain College, and then moved to New York City in 1957.

He was influenced by sculptor David Smith in the use of welded and sheet forms in the construction of his work. In addition to his sculptures, Chamberlain does video art, which, like the automobiles, depicts common, recognizable items from daily life.
Credit: Matthew Baigell, "Dictionary of American Art" (Source: Askart.com, Accessed May 10, 2004, http://www.askart.com)

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