Description

John Chamberlain rose to prominence in the late 1950s with energetic, vibrant sculptures hewn from disused car parts, achieving a threedimensional form of Abstract Expressionism that astounded critics and captured the imagination of fellow artists. For a seven-year period starting in the mid-1960s, the artist abandoned automotive metal and turned to other materials. Motivated by a scientific curiosity, Chamberlain produced sculptures in unorthodox mediums such as urethane foam, galvanized steel, paper bags, mineral-coated Plexiglas and aluminium foil. Since returning in 1972 to metal as his primary material, Chamberlain limited himself to specific parts of the automobile, adding colour to found car parts, dripping, spraying and patterning on top of existing hues to an often wild effect. In recent years, the artist has embarked on the production of a new body of work that demonstrates a decided return to earlier themes. John Chamberlain: Choices accompanies the Guggenheim Museum exhibition, which comprises approximately 95 works, from the artists earliest monochromatic iron sculptures to the outsized foil creations he is working on today.