John Chamberlain
Encyclopedia
John Angus Chamberlain (born April 16, 1927) is an American
sculptor
.
Born in Rochester, Indiana
, John Chamberlain spent much of his youth in Chicago
. After serving in the navy from 1943 to 1946, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago
(1951–52) and Black Mountain College
(1955–56). He is best known for creating sculptures from old automobiles (or parts of) that bring the Abstract Expressionist style of painting into three dimensions. He currently lives and works in Shelter Island, New York
. Since the 1950s, Chamberlain has worked with crushed steel and other such materials to create his sculptures. His works have been exhibited around the world and have been included in the São Paulo Art Biennial
(1961, 1994), the Venice Biennale
(1964), the Whitney Biennial
(1973, 1987) and Documenta
, Kassel, Germany (1982) and he has had over 100 solo shows, traveling exhibitions
, and retrospective
s.
Chamberlain has been represented by Gagosian Gallery
since 2011.
Chamberlain was represented by The Pace Gallery
from 1987-2005.
Chamberlain supposedly has a work of art on the moon in the Moon Museum
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
.
Born in Rochester, Indiana
Rochester, Indiana
Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rochester is located at ....
, John Chamberlain spent much of his youth in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. After serving in the navy from 1943 to 1946, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
(1951–52) and Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College, a school founded in 1933 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, was a new kind of college in the United States in which the study of art was seen to be central to a liberal arts education, and in which John Dewey's principles of education played a major role...
(1955–56). He is best known for creating sculptures from old automobiles (or parts of) that bring the Abstract Expressionist style of painting into three dimensions. He currently lives and works in Shelter Island, New York
Shelter Island (town), New York
Shelter Island is a town and island at the eastern end of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It forms the tip of Suffolk County and is separated from the rest of the county by water. The population was 2,228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. Since the 1950s, Chamberlain has worked with crushed steel and other such materials to create his sculptures. His works have been exhibited around the world and have been included in the São Paulo Art Biennial
São Paulo Art Biennial
The São Paulo Art Biennial was founded in 1951 and has been held every two years since. It is the second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennial , which serves as its role model....
(1961, 1994), the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
(1964), the Whitney Biennial
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932, the first biennial was in 1973...
(1973, 1987) and Documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
, Kassel, Germany (1982) and he has had over 100 solo shows, traveling exhibitions
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
, and retrospective
Retrospective
Retrospective generally means to take a look back at events that already have taken place. For example, the term is used in medicine, describing a look back at a patient's medical history or lifestyle.-Music:...
s.
Chamberlain has been represented by Gagosian Gallery
Gagosian Gallery
Gagosian Gallery is a contemporary art gallery owned and directed by Larry Gagosian. There are currently eleven gallery spaces: three in New York; two in London; one in each of Beverly Hills, Rome, Athens, Paris, Geneva, Hong Kong and Moscow.-1980s:...
since 2011.
Chamberlain was represented by The Pace Gallery
Pace Gallery
The Pace Gallery is a New York City-based exhibition space. It was founded in 1960 in Boston by Arne Glimcher.-PaceWildenstein:From 1993 until April 1, 2010, the gallery became "PaceWildenstein," a joint business venture between the Pace Gallery and Wildenstein & Co....
from 1987-2005.
Chamberlain supposedly has a work of art on the moon in the Moon Museum
Moon Museum
The Moon Museum is a small ceramic wafer three-quarters of an inch by half an inch in size, containing artworks by six prominent artists from the late 1960s...
.
- John Chamberlain received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationThe John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
Fellowship in both 1966 and 1977. - In 1990 he became a member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in New York.
- The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine awarded him the 1993 Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture
- In 1993 he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Contemporary Sculpture from the International Sculpture Center, Hamilton, NJ, USA.
- In 1997 Chamberlain was named a recipient of The National Arts ClubNational Arts ClubThe National Arts Club is a private club in Gramercy Park, New York City, New York, USA. It was founded in 1898 to "stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts". Since 1906 the organization has occupied the Samuel J...
Artists Award, New York. - In 1999 he received the Distinction in Sculpture Honor from the Sculpture Center, New York.
External links
- Gagosian Gallery
- The Pace Gallery
- Guggenheim Museum biography
- biography and literature
- Chinati Foundation
- John Chamberlain at Xavier HufkensXavier HufkensXavier Hufkens is a European gallery owner and dealer in contemporary art. Since its founding in 1987, his gallery has been committed to the long term representation of established, mid-career and emerging artists. The gallery deals in a combination of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography,...
, Brussels