Hingham by John Chamberlain

John Chamberlain

John Chamberlain, a wholly American artist, channelled the postwar era’s revolutionary energy into a relentlessly inventive body of work that spanned six decades. He first became well-known for his sculptures built from vehicle components in the late 1950s and early 1960s. These ground-breaking pieces successfully translated the expressive intensity of Abstract Expressionist painting into three dimensions. In addition to bridging the gap between Process Art and Minimalism, Chamberlain’s works of twisted, crushed, and forged metal, which ranged in size from miniature to enormous, also brought the principles of both movements closer together. His groundbreaking pieces made him one of the first American artists to recognise colour as an essential element of abstract sculpture. From the late 1960s to the end of his life, Chamberlain used a staggering variety of mediums to express himself, ranging from foam, aluminium foil, and paper bags to Plexiglas, resin, and paint.

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